Iowans turned out in record numbers Thursday to participate in a presidential nominating ritual that resembles nothing else in American politics. Across hundreds of venues, from churches and schools to private homes, Democratic voters made their preferences known not through secret ballots but by physically standing in groups designated for each candidate, in plain view of their neighbors.
The Democratic version carries a threshold rule: any candidate who fails to win at least 15 percent of a precinct's attendance is declared nonviable, and those supporters must then align with another candidate. This means a broadly acceptable second choice can ultimately outrun a frontrunner.
At one Des Moines precinct, only the groups backing Barack Obama and John Edwards reached viability. Supporters of Bill Richardson and Joe Biden had to choose sides, and younger participants opposed to the Iraq war largely moved to Obama. Longshot Dennis Kucinich had already directed his backers to support Obama as their second preference.
Campaign operations spent the day arranging transportation and childcare to maximize turnout. The effort paid off: the 2008 Democratic caucuses drew roughly 232,000 participants, nearly double the 124,000 who attended in 2004, when John Kerry pulled off a surprise Iowa win before claiming the nomination.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in January 2008, in its own words.