Iowa Student Reporters React to Covering Caucuses
Seven students from Shenandoah High School have been participating in the Student Reporting Labs program leading up to the Iowa Caucuses. During this caucus season, they have attended events for Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich as well as Page County Democratic and Republican meetings, and the famed Iowa caucuses.
The students also spent the day of Jan. 3 attending and documenting caucus events in their area. Here, they react to what they saw and heard in the process:
What was the most interesting thing you learned or saw during the caucuses? Why?
The caucuses are important because it emphasizes how important individual contact with candidates and neighbors is to the political process. The people who are really passionate are responsible for raising candidate awareness and spreading the word about their candidate. Face-to-face contact with candidates is very important because that is how you can learn the most about candidates. Phone calls, debates, and commercials have little influence on voters’ opinions compared to visits from the candidates to hear their stances and what they want to accomplish. You can build support for a candidate by hearing them speak much easier than from hearing them on television. It is also much preferred to phone calls and commercials because they are annoying and repetitive.
Another interesting aspect was the hometown familiarity of the caucuses. The ballots were passed around the room, then counted by two volunteers. Everyone trusted each other to do the honorable thing, which all participants seemed to abide by.