The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — A combination of factors will bring unprecedented national political attention to Colorado this year, beginning Tuesday with the state’s party caucuses.

Usually held in April, the Feb. 5 caucuses will be the earliest in state history. State leaders made the switch hoping it would give Colorado more clout. Other states did the same, and Colorado will join 23 states holding a primary or caucus on “Super Tuesday” in a monumental nationwide test of presidential hopefuls.

The spotlight on Colorado will shine even brighter in August, when the Democratic National Convention comes to Denver.

Local officials hope the heightened attention will lead to strong turnouts next week. Noting the scant attendance of past caucuses, Routt County Commissioner Nancy Stahoviak, a Republican, predicted an average of only four people from each of the county’s 18 precincts would caucus for each party. County Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush, a Democrat, was more optimistic, and she hopes to dispel a common misunderstanding that caucusing is for “insiders” alone.

“This is the first step in a grassroots Democratic process,” Mitsch Bush said. “It’s not just party insiders. It’s for everybody.”

Vance Halvorson, chairman of the Routt County Republican Central Committee, has seen signs that this year’s caucuses may be more popular. He said he has received inquiries from people who have never caucused before.

To participate in the caucuses, voters need only to have registered with their party by Dec. 5, 2007, and must be a resident of their precinct for at least 30 days. Others, while unable to participate, are welcome to attend.

“The caucuses are open to the public in the sense that an independent could attend, a reporter could attend,” Halvorson said. “They’re open for people to see.”

In the most anticipated action of the night, caucus-goers will cast their preferences for presidential candidates — the Republicans by a simple straw poll and the Democrats by a more complex process. Democrats will separate into preference groups for each candidate. If any group does not have 15 percent of the caucus participants, its members have an opportunity to join another group or remain undecided. Results from both parties will be reported to the state party that night.

While most attention will focus on the results for presidential preference, a number of other activities occur at the caucus. Delegates are chosen for the county assembly next month. Democrats with aspirations to be one of Colorado’s 72 delegates to the national convention in Denver, or Republicans who want to be one of 46 that will go to the national convention in Minneapolis, must first be chosen at a precinct caucus and work their way up.

Caucus-goers also will put together a precinct platform with issues that could work their way up the assemblies and conventions in a similar fashion.