GOP caucuses: whose votes count?

Lost in the shuffle of yesterday's drama of defections, arrests, and polls, a release from the Republican Party of Iowa on caucus counting process. Most of the mirth has focused on the votes being reported to an "undisclosed location," which must mean Dick Cheney is in charge. But here's the important part:

We will be reporting the votes for Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Buddy Roemer, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, “No Preference,” and “Other.”

Ballots are blank so everything's a write in. So what's important here?

A vote for a dream candidate like Chris Christie or Sarah Palin is "Other."

Ex-candidate Herman Cain gets counted.

But ex-candidates Tim Pawlenty and (remember him?) Thaddeus McCotter do not.

Neither does Gary Johnson, who just made his jump to the Libertarians official.

And attention Colbert Nation: if they do this like they did at the straw poll, a vote for Rick PArry is a vote for Rick PErry.