Colorado Dems, GOP to participate in very different caucuses on Super Tuesday

Coloradans will caucus in five days on Super Tuesday with about a dozen other states. Caucus-goers will gather in local school gyms and homes to discuss their party’s presidential nominees. Democrats and Republicans in the Centennial State will participate in very different ways Tuesday night.

GOP voters will not vote for a winner.

“We’re not voting for any candidates, we’re voting for delegates who ultimately down the line will be voting for candidates,” Daniel Cole with the El Paso County GOP said.

The Democrats will hold a binding preference poll, which means either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders will win the Democratic caucuses.

On Tuesday night, there will be a time for persuasion as Democrats at various caucus sites will try to convince fellow neighbors to supporter either Clinton or Sanders.

“You’ll see my neighbor down the street is for the person I’m not for,” Annie Schmitt with the Pike Peak Dems said. “I’m going to go talk to them and find out why they’re voting for Hillary. It’s really trying to get people to go change their mind.”

“It’s a wonderful conversation, there’s passion and it’s exciting,” Colorado Springs Democrat Amy Colwell said.

Some voters would rather see Colorado go to a presidential primary.

“The phone never stops ringing; it rings all day long with calls from people asking why we have this system and how we can make a change to a pure primary,” Cole said.

Now, none of the delegates elected at the precinct caucuses are binding. After the Super Tuesday caucuses, delegates will be elected at the county and state conventions to go to the national conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia this summer.

Moving Colorado from a caucus to a primary would require a vote in the state Legislature and a signature from Gov. John Hickenlooper.