Friday, February 26, 2016

Making The Caucuses Happen: Registration Trends

Another week of more caucus follow-up than writing. With the nomination still in question, The two surviving Democratic campaigns are prepping for county conventions on March 12 and herding their cats, which means they need to make calls and send emails. There's not a quick easy way to enter data from 57 forms and countless scraps of paper.

Assuming everyone shows up and no one changes preference - a rarity, but it actually happened in 2008  - Johnson County produces a district and state (it's the same pool of people for both conventions) split of Sanders 55, Clinton 37; the one O'Malley delegate doesn't change the math either way. What WOULD change the math would be changed minds or the attrition rate; it's all about who shows up.

Also a reminder: With the caucuses at a reasonable date for once, a month later than 2008 and 2012, but the conventions still on the same date, that's a month less prep time and call time. And remember that prep time was the original excuse for First.

Speaking of First, the Democratic state central committee is naming names to its caucus review committee, headed by ex-congressman and `80s era fighter for First Dave Nagle, at tomorrow's meeting. I sent word that I'd be interested. We'll see. We also had a good local de-brief with the Johnson County chairs on Monday night that produced a lot of good small-scale ideas; assuming we do things more or less the same way again, there's ways to fo it better.

This "post" is really just an expanded version from a comment I made on a Bleeding Heartland post about voter registration trends. Here’s the stats from Johnson County. As always, I report stats with active status voters only.

(Note: In at least some places, including at least some Johnson COunty precincts, the IDP printed caucus lists with Inactive status voters included – which could cause those folks problems next time they try to vote. But I’ve spent nearly 15 years trying to explain to staffers that Inactive status is NOT the same as what's called in staffer speak "Weak Voting Ds." Inactive status would more accurately be thought of as "preliminary cancellation." More on that in an upcoming post.)

    End of day Friday 1/29/2016 – Pre-caucus
    Democratic 37,573 43.42%
    Republican 17,582 20.32%
    Green 196 0.23%
    Libertarian 444 0.51%
    No Party 30,736 35.52%
    County Total 86,531

    2/16/2016 caucus data entry complete
    Democratic 42,909 47.74%
    Republican 19,529 21.73%
    Green 132 0.15%
    Libertarian 364 0.40%
    No Party 26,949 29.98%
    County Total 89,883

    Change
    Democratic +5,336 +4.32%
    Republican +1,947 +1.41%
    Green -64 -0.08%
    Libertarian -80 -0.11%
    No Party -3,787 -5.54%
    County Total +3,352

Not ALL of this is caucus, but virtually all of it is.

I’m the guy who processes the voter registration stats for the Johnson County auditor’s office. My pre-caucus benchmark is end of the day Friday 1/29 because 1) I took caucus day off work to do caucus stuff and 2) by that point the office was telling people "the lists are printed, take the form with you."

The office didn’t process many records in the days right around the caucus because we had a small local special election on February 2 and there was a pre-registration deadline of January 22.

The Johnson County Republicans delivered their registrations to the office Wednesday afternoon 2/3 and I brought in the Democratic registrations Thursday morning 2/4. I also brought in treats for the co-workers because 1) I had just dumped a ton of work on them, between the two parties it was about 10,000 forms and 2) I was taking two days off to start on my four day credentials marathon. The office’s data entry started Thursday afternoon, as soon as the voter history for the Tuesday Lone Tree special election (a whopping 106 voters and a 95% Yes) was updated.

When I got back on Monday 2/8 they had saved me plenty of work, and we spent the entire week pretty much just entering caucus registrations. We were about 99 and 44/100ths done by the end of Friday afternoon 2/12; after the three day weekend, on Tuesday 2/16 we dealt with a handful of "problem" registrations (missing info or signatures, etc.) Then I ran these stats and we started processing routine registrations again.

Both Democrats and Republicans saw bigger gains than 2008, though both peaked short of their record percentages. (Democrats peaked just above 48% after the 2008 county primary, and Republicans peaked above 24% after the 1994 Branstad-Grandy primary. That's right; the highest GOP registration in Johnson County history was because of people crossing over to vote against Terry Branstad, as Gopher won the county.)

No party registrations hit an all-time low, and dipped just below 30% for a couple days (Most routine registrations come from drivers’ licenses, and those lean heavily No Party. Too soon to tell how online registration impact the stats in the long term.) The third parties took heavy losses, but my hunch is those are the folks most likely to switch back promptly. With no primaries or caucuses, third party status is more about Making A Statement.

Johnson County numbers will move a lot again in the near future; for this year’s list maintenance mailing we’re doing a county wide mailing. More on that next week.
(Note: In at least some places, the IDP printed caucus lists with Inactive status voters included – which could cause those folks problems next time they try to vote. But I’ve spent nearly 15 years trying to explain to staffers that Inactive status is NOT the same as "Weak Voting Dem." Inactive status would more accurately be thought of as "preliminary cancellation.")
End of day Friday 1/29/2016 – Pre-caucus
Democratic 37,573 43.42%
Republican 17,582 20.32%
Green 196 0.23%
Libertarian 444 0.51%
No Party 30,736 35.52%
County Total 86,531
2/16/2016 caucus data entry complete
Democratic 42,909 47.74%
Republican 19,529 21.73%
Green 132 0.15%
Libertarian 364 0.40%
No Party 26,949 29.98%
County Total 89,883
Change
Democratic +5,336 +4.32%
Republican +1,947 +1.41%
Green -64 -0.08%
Libertarian -80 -0.11%
No Party -3,787 -5.54%
County Total +3,352
Not ALL of this is caucus, but virtually all of it is.
I’m the guy who processes these stats for the auditor’s office. My pre-caucus benchmark is end of Friday 1/29 because 1) I took caucus day off work to do caucus stuff and 2) by that point the office was telling people "the lists are printed, take the form with you."
The office didn’t process many records in the days right around the caucus because we had a small local special election on Feb. 2 and there was a pre-registration deadline of January 22.
The Johnson County Republicans delivered their registrations to the office Wednesday afternoon 2/3 and I brought in the Democratic registrations Thursday morning 2/4. I also brought in treats for the co-workers because 1) I had just dumped a ton of work on them, between the two parties it was about 10,000 forms and 2) I was taking two days off to start on my four day credentials marathon. The office’s data entry started Thursday afternoon, as soon as the voter history for the Tuesday special election was updated.
When I got back on Monday 2/8 they had saved me plenty of work, and we spent the entire week pretty much just entering caucus registrations. We were about 99 and 44/100ths done by the end of Friday afternoon 2/12; after the three day weekend, on Tuesday 2/16 we dealt with a handful of "problem" registrations (missing info or signatures, etc.) Then I ran these stats and we started processing routine registrations again.
Both Democrats and Republicans saw bigger gains than 2008, though both peaked short of their record percentages. (Democrats peaked after the 2008 county primary, and Republicans peaked after the 1994 Branstad-Grandy primary.) No party registrations hit an all-time low, and dipped below 30% for a couple days (Most routine registrations come from drivers’ licenses, and those lean heavily No Party. Too soon to tell how online registration impact the stats in the long term.)
Johnson County numbers will move a lot again in the near future; for this year’s list maintenance mailing we’re doing a county wide mailing.
- See more at: http://www.bleedingheartland.com/2016/02/24/iowa-caucuses-produce-substantial-gains-in-democratic-and-republican-voter-registrations/#sthash.EgmPEAb8.dpuf
(Note: In at least some places, the IDP printed caucus lists with Inactive status voters included – which could cause those folks problems next time they try to vote. But I’ve spent nearly 15 years trying to explain to staffers that Inactive status is NOT the same as "Weak Voting Dem." Inactive status would more accurately be thought of as "preliminary cancellation.")
End of day Friday 1/29/2016 – Pre-caucus
Democratic 37,573 43.42%
Republican 17,582 20.32%
Green 196 0.23%
Libertarian 444 0.51%
No Party 30,736 35.52%
County Total 86,531
2/16/2016 caucus data entry complete
Democratic 42,909 47.74%
Republican 19,529 21.73%
Green 132 0.15%
Libertarian 364 0.40%
No Party 26,949 29.98%
County Total 89,883
Change
Democratic +5,336 +4.32%
Republican +1,947 +1.41%
Green -64 -0.08%
Libertarian -80 -0.11%
No Party -3,787 -5.54%
County Total +3,352
Not ALL of this is caucus, but virtually all of it is.
I’m the guy who processes these stats for the auditor’s office. My pre-caucus benchmark is end of Friday 1/29 because 1) I took caucus day off work to do caucus stuff and 2) by that point the office was telling people "the lists are printed, take the form with you."
The office didn’t process many records in the days right around the caucus because we had a small local special election on Feb. 2 and there was a pre-registration deadline of January 22.
The Johnson County Republicans delivered their registrations to the office Wednesday afternoon 2/3 and I brought in the Democratic registrations Thursday morning 2/4. I also brought in treats for the co-workers because 1) I had just dumped a ton of work on them, between the two parties it was about 10,000 forms and 2) I was taking two days off to start on my four day credentials marathon. The office’s data entry started Thursday afternoon, as soon as the voter history for the Tuesday special election was updated.
When I got back on Monday 2/8 they had saved me plenty of work, and we spent the entire week pretty much just entering caucus registrations. We were about 99 and 44/100ths done by the end of Friday afternoon 2/12; after the three day weekend, on Tuesday 2/16 we dealt with a handful of "problem" registrations (missing info or signatures, etc.) Then I ran these stats and we started processing routine registrations again.
Both Democrats and Republicans saw bigger gains than 2008, though both peaked short of their record percentages. (Democrats peaked after the 2008 county primary, and Republicans peaked after the 1994 Branstad-Grandy primary.) No party registrations hit an all-time low, and dipped below 30% for a couple days (Most routine registrations come from drivers’ licenses, and those lean heavily No Party. Too soon to tell how online registration impact the stats in the long term.)
Johnson County numbers will move a lot again in the near future; for this year’s list maintenance mailing we’re doing a county wide mailing.
- See more at: http://www.bleedingheartland.com/2016/02/24/iowa-caucuses-produce-substantial-gains-in-democratic-and-republican-voter-registrations/#sthash.EgmPEAb8.dpuf
Here’s some stats from Johnson County. As always, active status only.
(Note: In at least some places, the IDP printed caucus lists with Inactive status voters included – which could cause those folks problems next time they try to vote. But I’ve spent nearly 15 years trying to explain to staffers that Inactive status is NOT the same as "Weak Voting Dem." Inactive status would more accurately be thought of as "preliminary cancellation.")
End of day Friday 1/29/2016 – Pre-caucus
Democratic 37,573 43.42%
Republican 17,582 20.32%
Green 196 0.23%
Libertarian 444 0.51%
No Party 30,736 35.52%
County Total 86,531
2/16/2016 caucus data entry complete
Democratic 42,909 47.74%
Republican 19,529 21.73%
Green 132 0.15%
Libertarian 364 0.40%
No Party 26,949 29.98%
County Total 89,883
Change
Democratic +5,336 +4.32%
Republican +1,947 +1.41%
Green -64 -0.08%
Libertarian -80 -0.11%
No Party -3,787 -5.54%
County Total +3,352
Not ALL of this is caucus, but virtually all of it is.
I’m the guy who processes these stats for the auditor’s office. My pre-caucus benchmark is end of Friday 1/29 because 1) I took caucus day off work to do caucus stuff and 2) by that point the office was telling people "the lists are printed, take the form with you."
The office didn’t process many records in the days right around the caucus because we had a small local special election on Feb. 2 and there was a pre-registration deadline of January 22.
The Johnson County Republicans delivered their registrations to the office Wednesday afternoon 2/3 and I brought in the Democratic registrations Thursday morning 2/4. I also brought in treats for the co-workers because 1) I had just dumped a ton of work on them, between the two parties it was about 10,000 forms and 2) I was taking two days off to start on my four day credentials marathon. The office’s data entry started Thursday afternoon, as soon as the voter history for the Tuesday special election was updated.
When I got back on Monday 2/8 they had saved me plenty of work, and we spent the entire week pretty much just entering caucus registrations. We were about 99 and 44/100ths done by the end of Friday afternoon 2/12; after the three day weekend, on Tuesday 2/16 we dealt with a handful of "problem" registrations (missing info or signatures, etc.) Then I ran these stats and we started processing routine registrations again.
Both Democrats and Republicans saw bigger gains than 2008, though both peaked short of their record percentages. (Democrats peaked after the 2008 county primary, and Republicans peaked after the 1994 Branstad-Grandy primary.) No party registrations hit an all-time low, and dipped below 30% for a couple days (Most routine registrations come from drivers’ licenses, and those lean heavily No Party. Too soon to tell how online registration impact the stats in the long term.)
Johnson County numbers will move a lot again in the near future; for this year’s list maintenance mailing we’re doing a county wide mailing.
- See more at: http://www.bleedingheartland.com/2016/02/24/iowa-caucuses-produce-substantial-gains-in-democratic-and-republican-voter-registrations/#sthash.EgmPEAb8.dpuf
Here’s some stats from Johnson County. As always, active status only.
(Note: In at least some places, the IDP printed caucus lists with Inactive status voters included – which could cause those folks problems next time they try to vote. But I’ve spent nearly 15 years trying to explain to staffers that Inactive status is NOT the same as "Weak Voting Dem." Inactive status would more accurately be thought of as "preliminary cancellation.")
End of day Friday 1/29/2016 – Pre-caucus
Democratic 37,573 43.42%
Republican 17,582 20.32%
Green 196 0.23%
Libertarian 444 0.51%
No Party 30,736 35.52%
County Total 86,531
2/16/2016 caucus data entry complete
Democratic 42,909 47.74%
Republican 19,529 21.73%
Green 132 0.15%
Libertarian 364 0.40%
No Party 26,949 29.98%
County Total 89,883
Change
Democratic +5,336 +4.32%
Republican +1,947 +1.41%
Green -64 -0.08%
Libertarian -80 -0.11%
No Party -3,787 -5.54%
County Total +3,352
Not ALL of this is caucus, but virtually all of it is.
I’m the guy who processes these stats for the auditor’s office. My pre-caucus benchmark is end of Friday 1/29 because 1) I took caucus day off work to do caucus stuff and 2) by that point the office was telling people "the lists are printed, take the form with you."
The office didn’t process many records in the days right around the caucus because we had a small local special election on Feb. 2 and there was a pre-registration deadline of January 22.
The Johnson County Republicans delivered their registrations to the office Wednesday afternoon 2/3 and I brought in the Democratic registrations Thursday morning 2/4. I also brought in treats for the co-workers because 1) I had just dumped a ton of work on them, between the two parties it was about 10,000 forms and 2) I was taking two days off to start on my four day credentials marathon. The office’s data entry started Thursday afternoon, as soon as the voter history for the Tuesday special election was updated.
When I got back on Monday 2/8 they had saved me plenty of work, and we spent the entire week pretty much just entering caucus registrations. We were about 99 and 44/100ths done by the end of Friday afternoon 2/12; after the three day weekend, on Tuesday 2/16 we dealt with a handful of "problem" registrations (missing info or signatures, etc.) Then I ran these stats and we started processing routine registrations again.
Both Democrats and Republicans saw bigger gains than 2008, though both peaked short of their record percentages. (Democrats peaked after the 2008 county primary, and Republicans peaked after the 1994 Branstad-Grandy primary.) No party registrations hit an all-time low, and dipped below 30% for a couple days (Most routine registrations come from drivers’ licenses, and those lean heavily No Party. Too soon to tell how online registration impact the stats in the long term.)
Johnson County numbers will move a lot again in the near future; for this year’s list maintenance mailing we’re doing a county wide mailing.
- See more at: http://www.bleedingheartland.com/2016/02/24/iowa-caucuses-produce-substantial-gains-in-democratic-and-republican-voter-registrations/#sthash.EgmPEAb8.dpuf

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