Caucus: Worst Idea Ever

My district's caucus was at a high school, in the "small auditorium." The doors were to open at 6:00 and close at 7:00.

6:20 - I arrive, get one of the last parking spots in an overflow parking lot. Traffic is streaming in as I walk to the front doors. I'm directed to a line, have to follow it as it snakes back around corners, eventually find the end.

7:00 - I'm back by the doors, see them turn some late-comers away. Soon after that I can see the door to the auditorium waaaaay down at the end of the hall. A while after that I see that they're having a basketball game on the other side of the school. Good planning.

7:40 - I finish the book I brought.

7:45 - I get checked in. I'm directed to the Obama door and told there's overflow. I look in the auditorium door and it is packed beyond capacity. I go to the overflow rooms and find them packed beyond capacity. I decide to hang out in the hallway.

8:30 - I poke my head in the stage doors of the auditorium. They announce that everyone is checked in. They were planning for 500 and over 1500 showed up. They explain the caucus process, which is overly confusing and not possible without everyone in a single room. Eventually they tell everyone to go to designated areas to be counted. The Clinton people get the auditorium and one overflow room. The Obama people are supposed to squeeze into the two already full overflow rooms. Soon the hallways are packed so you can't move and still everyone can't get out of the auditorium. Some of the volunteers start counting and others start taking the cards we were handed when we checked in. There is confusion about which they are supposed to be doing. Finally, someone takes charge of the hallway and says to hand in your card to be counted and leave if you don't want to select delegates. Hundreds of people stream out. That doesn't mesh with what I was told earlier, so I stick my head back in the auditorium. There they are announcing that we should be finishing the preliminary head count and will have an opportunity to turn in our cards for the final count soon. Some people are choosing to leave, the chairman says, so they are choosing to miss the final count. We protest that they were told to leave. Eventually we are told the basketball game is over and Obama supporters are to head to the gym. We file in and it's eventually announced that they will count the people who left early.

9:20 - They announce that Clinton will get 4 delegates from our district and Obama will get 11. The next process is electing who those delegates will be. Come to the center of the court if you want to be a delegate, hang out in the stands if you want to vote for delegates, leave if you don't care who gets elected. Over 80% of the people leave. Around 50 people head to the center of the court.

9:45 - I get tired of listening to "elect me" speeches from anonymous people and, realizing this will go on all night, head home.