So What's a Caucus Like Anyways?

I'm pretty new to the political scene and I'm still getting the lingo down, but in talking to my peers, I found I'm not the only one who is uneducated about a "caucus"...and especially a democratic caucus. After I read about caucus' on Wikipedia and CNN, I was still confused as to how they worked logistically.

My brother moved to Iowa almost a year ago and my sister happened to be visiting him in Iowa at the time of the 2008 Iowa caucus.


Here are some video clips to show what a cuacus is like. The whole process begins with an initial count, followed by a 30 minute debate amongst peers to persuade inviable voters over to your side of room followed by a final count for each viable candidate.

The method seems a little archaic, but very grassroots level. I wish Virginia had a caucus instead of a primary ballot.