TCR Caucuses

3-18-10:  Caucus Results from Chair Mark Sievers:

Thanks to everyone for their work on the caucuses.  Our country is a self-governing republic, which means that it relies on its citizens to step forward and participate in the political process.  Caucuses are about as grass-roots as it gets as they involve meetings with your neighbors to elect delegates for your precinct.

Elections in Colorado are truly driven by the very small number of people/patriots who care enough about this country to turn out to vote and participate in the political process – and especially people, like you, who give their time, talent and treasure to lead the political process.

Total turn-out this year was around 411, which is less than in the last election cycle, but more than in past election year caucuses.  To put this number in context, there are 8,456 registered Republicans in Teller County, so count yourselves among the minority of citizen-patriots who care about this country.

This caucus turn-out was about 5% of registered Republicans in Teller County.  In Douglas County, yesterday’s caucus turn-out was only 2%.  In El Paso county, caucus turn-out was worse with only 1%.  Fremont County’s turn-out was 4%.  Large counties (Denver, Boulder, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Broomfield, Pueblo, Mesa) all had turn-outs of only 2%.  From a per capita perspective, Teller county’s turn-out was more than double the turn-out in larger counties.

            Here are the results of the straw poll for Teller County:

US Senate

Steve Barton – 2

Ken Buck – 200

Robert Greenheck — 0

Vincent Martinez – 1

Jane Norton – 31

Cleve Tidwell – 8

Tom Wiens – 156

None of the above – 1

Governor

Dan Maes – 198

Yoon Mager — 0

Scott McInnis – 212

Mark Vanderbilt — 0

None of the above – 1

3-3-10:  Handout that will be provided to caucus attendees (about, agenda, candidate info)

Teller County Republican Caucuses will be held Tuesday, March 16th, 7PM, at the following locations:

2-18-10

Precinct Co-Chairs:

2-10

What is a caucus? (Thanks to the ElPaso County Republicans for this info)

Simply put a caucus is a meeting of neighbors interested in the election process. Colorado is one of the few states to still hold party caucuses. Most have gone to direct primaries.  We actually do both. The caucus is usually held in the spring of election years and the next caucus will be held March 16, 2010.

What is the difference between a Caucus and a Primary?

A caucus and a primary are two entirely different animals. At a caucus, interested voters meet (usually at a school) to elect delegates to attend assemblies (County and State) to vote on behalf of the neighbors. In primary states there is a direct vote of the registered voters of that state. Iowa holds a caucus, and New Hampshire holds a primary. In 2008 (for the first time) a STRAW POLL was taken of registered voters who attended the caucus. This information was called in to Party headquarters and then forwarded to the media.

Who can attend the Caucus?

Everyone is welcome at the meeting, presumably Democrats will attend theirs and Republicans will attend theirs, but sometimes they do cross. However, you must be registered to vote as a member of a political party to be eligible to vote in that Party’s caucus. For example, only registered Republicans can vote at the Republican caucus, but anyone can speak, so we encourage you to attend. Also, you can only vote in the caucus for your precinct (neighborhood). You are only able to vote for candidates for partisan office in the primary if you are registered with a party affiliation. If you are registered “undeclared” you cannot vote at a caucus or vote in the primary for partisan offices.

When and where are the caucuses?

The caucus is usually held in schools; it may or may not be held in the place where you vote. The newspaper will publish a list of places where the caucuses will be held, so check with them, and of course the most current information will be included on this web page.

Why is it important for me to attend?

Everyone should attend their caucus, just to have a voice, but too few do. And what happens is the “Activists” can take hold of your Party and perhaps lead it in a direction you’d rather not go. If you have ever been frustrated by the choice in candidates in the November general election, then you need to attend. This is where the nomination process starts and where you can start to make a difference. Remember, anyone can speak up (or remain quiet if you are new to this). These are your neighbors not some strangers and you just might learn something you didn’t know.

Will my voice really be heard?

YES, YES, AND YES!

Where do I register?

If you are not already registered with a Party, you can contact the County Clerk and Recorders office or go online and download the form from their website. Itis also included on this web site under “voter registration.”  The County Clerk and Recorder’s office must receive your registration form NO LATER than 5 pm on January 19, 2010 if you are not currently registered to vote as a Republican and want to participate in the Republican caucus. You must register no later than February 16, 2010 if you have moved, were registered Republican at your old residence and want to participate in the caucus.

WHAT IS A STRAW POLL ANYWAY?

It is a poll of the registered Caucus voters. A tally will be taken to see how many voters will vote for each candidate. Votes are by secret ballot and the information will be sent out to the media. While not binding, the straw poll results will let the candidates, the delegates and the public know how the voters feel about our potential nominees.

Who can I contact for more information?

The best places are on this web site and attending the monthly meeting of the Teller County Republicans.

What can I do?

Call your family and friends, encourage them to go, talk to neighbors and do the same.  The caucus can actually be fun, even if just to get people talking.