Voting is only a part of self-government. Speaking, listening, and exchanging ideas are also necessary. A caucus does that; a primary doesn’t. //
When we speak of democracy nowadays, we often boil it down to the simple act of casting a ballot. But this second stage of the caucus is where the serious democratic deliberations take place. Democracy is not just winning a plurality. It is the whole idea that a free people can govern themselves. Part of self-government is thinking, discussing, and debating ideas before finally deciding on a course of action. This leads to consensus rather than mere plurality — nomination of the candidate who is the most acceptable to the most people.
This is the caucus’s advantage over the primary. With as many candidates as the Democrats have in 2020, or the Republicans had in 2016, many are bound to end up with less than 15 percent of the vote. The caucus allows voters whose first choice falls short of the threshold to reassess their position and put their vote where it would do the most good, with the viable candidate most to their liking. The delegates selected in that process represent a community, not just a collection of individuals. //
This is another advantage of the Iowa caucus: It asks Iowa Democrats whom the Democratic Party should nominate. Only people who care enough about the party to join it get to have their opinion heard. Every voter who has the right to vote for president may do so in November. But being allowed to vote does not give you the right to say how a group of which you are not a member selects the person to represent them.
A party caucus epitomizes the consultative, community-based democracy that leads to consensus candidates. Voting is a part of self-government, but only a part. Speaking, listening, and exchanging ideas are also necessary to build trust and find agreement. Caucuses do that; primaries don’t.
