March 4, 2008
So You've Voted, Now What? It's Time to Caucus.
For Democrats:
If you voted early (like we did), you do not go back to your early voting location. You need to look up where the polling place for your precinct is, because that is where you will go to caucus. It might be a good idea to plan to be there by 7pm this evening. The caucus will not start until 7:15pm, or whenever the last person finishes voting (whichever comes last). The caucus, or "precinct convention", will be called to order at that time, and you will sign a sign-in sheet with your presidential preference. This is really the main event of the evening, unless you desire to be a delegate to the County/Senatorial district convention. If you arrive too late to sign in, your presidential preference will not go towards precinct delegate allocation (which is why it may be a good idea to plan to arrive at 7pm). After you sign-in, you can leave - your signature counts towards your candidate. Or you can stay and participate more in the convention.
As has been mentioned previously, the caucusing bit of the Texas Democratic primary may turn out to be a slightly contentious process. Most of the state's delegate allocation (126 delegates) will be decided by the primary, but 67 delegates will be decided through the precinct conventions. If you think your candidate needs all the help they can get, it is definitely worthwhile to attend and let your voice be heard.
TDP: Precinct Convention Frequently Asked Questions
For Republicans:
For Travis County Republicans, the precinct conventions do not work as a caucus. At your polling place at 8pm, the precinct conventions will start the national convention delegate process. The Republican party of Texas uses a winner-take-all formula, so whichever candidate wins over 50% of a congressional district's primary vote wins the delegates for that district.
KEYE: How the Texas primary/caucus will work
Happy conventioning!
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