A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS with suggestions for improvements.

First kudos to Bill Underwood for doing a very good job running the caucus. It helped a lot that there were no tie votes as happened at the Democrat caucus. But there were some things that were done that should be changed in the future. The big problem is with the venue, the Fire Hall. As in years past the trucks are moved out and the doors are left wide open. There is no crowd control, not even a yellow tape to prevent people from milling in and out all night. Also there was no separation between Republicans and others who could not vote. Bill made a small effort at the beginning to separate the two but it was ineffectual. The only control used to insure that only the proper people voted was a vote count. On one of the very first ballots there were two more votes than there were people signed in to vote. Bill asked if anyone voted who did not sign in and two people came forward and signed in. As the evening wore on some people left which shows in the diminished totals but there was no way to insure that someone could not have voted twice after that point. I am confident that did not happen but the possibility existed because of the way the venue was laid out. When I was at the Democrat caucus at the Town Hall there was only one way in and out and that is what needs to be done at the fire hall. A simple yellow tape across the big doors and a monitor at the entrance to prevent people from coming in who did not sign in. Even non voting people at the caucus are supposed to sign in but there was no way of knowing if they all signed in as the sign in was towards the back of the garage nowhere near the big open doors. In addition there was no separate place designated for non Republicans to sit or stand. This makes it impossible for the tellers to know who is and is not supposed to vote. On two occasions Democrat nominees were allowed to speak which is against the rules. If they were in a separate area the chair would have been better equipped to know this fact. The three tellers wandered all over the room. Sometimes I got a blank vote from one and gave it to another later. People are honest and I am positive no one cheated at the caucus but there was confusion and the opportunity to cheat was there. If at some future caucus you have a tie situation as happened at the Democrat caucus and these loose rules are not fixed you will have many think that someone cheated. My suggestions for using the Fire Hall for a caucus in the future. Cordon off the open doors so that no one can go in or out there. Move the sign in into the big room by the small doorway and make that the only entrance. Cordon off an area for non voters to sit/stand to prevent intermingling which will make the tellers job much easier.