. caucus system political definition
caucus ‎(plural caucuses). ( 1 US) A meeting, especially a preliminary meeting, of persons belonging to a party, to nominate candidates for public office, or to select delegates to a nominating convention, or to confer regarding measures of party policy; a political primary meeting. That meeting was the germ of the political caucuses which have formed so prominent a feature of our government ever since its organization.. American Heritage Dictionary states the term is taken from the Caucus Club of Boston in the 1760s, possibly derived from Medieval Latin caucus, drinking vessel. Federal law doesn't dictate how states choose their delegates, so individual states decide what system to use. Most states use the primary system -- where voters statewide simply cast a vote for the candidate they support -- but some use the older caucus system. A caucus is only open to party members, but it is a private political meeting, not an election. A closed primary is open only to registered party members, but they vote in public polling places as at a regular election. The most famous caucus is Iowa’s, which is the first major electoral event of the nominating process. Other early states which use a caucus system are Nevada, Maine, Colorado, and Minnesota. primary: The majority of states hold a primary instead of a caucus. caucus ‎(third-person singular simple present caucuses, present participle caucusing, simple past and past participle caucused). ( 1 US) To meet and participate in caucus. 1 (US) A meeting, especially a preliminary meeting, of persons belonging to a party, to nominate candidates for public office, or to select delegates to a nominating convention, or to confer regarding measures of party policy; a political primary meeting. The term caucus apparently comes from an Algonquin word meaning gathering of tribal chiefs, and the main crux of the caucus system today is indeed a series of meetings. To see how this works, let's look at the Iowa caucuses -- the first voting event of the presidential election year. On January 3, America’s quadrennial race for the White House begins in earnest with the Iowa caucuses. If you find yourself wondering precisely what a caucus is, you’re not alone. The Byzantine process by which the US political parties choose their presidential nominees has a jargon all its own. Ask us in the comments. caucus: A caucus is a local meeting at which party members express their preference for the party’s presidential nominee. Unlike a primary election, a caucus is run by the party itself, not the state or local government.
It is a local meeting at which party members express their preference for the party’s presidential nominee.