Is there some way to find out how many participated in the caucus in SSD 25, that met in the Sedgwick County Courthouse? Stood in line for hours, just would like to know. Thanks in advance. G Schwendner

I would also like to know how many people were at each location. Can someone add a column to these results to include this info? We stood in line in Overland Park. Kansasmom

Who are they? How do we know how they will vote? I don't like the idea that the state could be 75% for Obama, but these people could all go vote for Clinton. As we were waiting in line for hours last night, this is one thing we talked about. People overwhelming felt they should vote along the same split as the average guy who isn't Super. Kansasmom

I'd like to know how many participants were at the Marysville location. I wanted to attend but due to the snow I ended up going on home since I don't live in town. I'm sure it was fun and a great learning experience. Not being in as many locations is the downside of a caucus especially in a bad weather scenario. My dad was interested in attending but would have needed to go to Hays which is over 2 hours away. Hopefully KS will bring back a primary.

Few comments here: 1) The site organizers said there were expecting MAYBE 80 people and there were 494 people that chose either Obama or Clinton with a number of persons being undecided and with a few more there as observers. We easily had 550 people cramed into a space suitable for maybe 200 at the most. It was hot, cramped, and uncomfortable but we stuck it out. I personally stood 30 minutes in the wind and snow barely covered by a walkway and another 15 minutes in line before I even got to sign in. WOW - it was crowded. 2) They closed the line at 7pm although they couldn't close the doors because there were so many of us. They eventually fit us all inside so they could really close the doors and you should have see the sad expressions ont the faces of the people that showed up late, and there were more than a handful. 3) I drove 24 miles from Wellington and driving home was terrible. This was a little too far for my tastes. Additionally, if there had been a site in Wellington, I could have brought two more participants with me. They didn't want to be that far from their sick children should an emergency arise, so they stayed home instead of coming to Winfield. 4) Having a caucus rather than a primary also left all those people out who work 2nd shift and can't take time off, especially working at Boeing/Spirit or Cessna in Wichita and having to drive all the way to Winfield. Was a primary election hugely expensive or something? Didn't feel as inclusive as it should have been. Overall, I am thrilled that we FINALLY got to have a say in some sort of primary election. The one truly good point of the caucus was that I got to meet people in my area who are Democrats. I have felt awash in a sea of Republican Red in Wellington since the day I moved here. If nothing, I will take away the feeling that I know that I was given an opportunity to stand up and be counted and it mattered. Thank you.

A friend and I went to the Democratic Caucus last night in El Dorado. We were suppose to be "in line" by 7pm in order to be able to vote. I planned on picking her up at 6:45. She talked me into picking her up at 6pm. I thought she was nuts, but when we pulled up the parking lot it was full! I had to let her out and go find a different parking lot! I thought MAYBE 50 people would be there. We went in, stood in line, and signed our names. There were two rooms where people were registering to vote. It made me proud to be a part of this process! (I remembered the year that I organized a voter's registration at college and how I always thought voting was so important) When we walked into the Civic Center it was packed - people were holding up signs for Hillary and Obama. People were chanting. Everyone was smiling. There was excitement in the air and it had all the possibilities of being a great evening. We were part of the solution. At 7 pm the doors were closed. I looked around - there were tons of college kids. There were the old time democrats. There were old men in overalls. There were the original bra burning women. There were the old hippies. There were men and women in their suits coming directly from the office. There were young mothers and fathers with their children. We all waited for the count. There were 689 people present!!! I commented to my friend that I didn't have any idea there were that many democrats in the entire State of Kansas yet alone the Butler county area! I called my Dad, who's weak from cancer treatments, and told him how many people were there and that he could be proud to be a democrat tonight! He told me a couple of years ago, after his good Democrat friend died, that I was the only Democrat that could recharge him the way his friend did! I wanted to share this great moment with him. Then, the lights went out. Literally. We waited. They went back on. We got a few minutes of instructions and the lights went out again - this time for good! No microphones, not much direction. No one seemed to be in charge. We were told to get to the side of the room with the candidate we wanted and count off. There was much confusion, but the mood in the room was still upbeat. 1/2 way into the count a LOUD angry sounding voice tells us that the room is over capacity and if we don't make aisles down the side and middle of the room we'll all be evacuated. This voice belonged to our local fire marshall. He also told us to be quiet or he'd clear the room. Now, there were 689 people in there in the midst of an exciting caucus! The mood dampened. People tried to be quiet. An occasional person would yell - Obama! or Hillary! which would get a comment from the fire marshall. I heard two different people who'd I'd recognized as being part of the caucus organization - one on the Hillary side and one on the Obama side - say - after you've been counted you can leave unless you want to be a delegate to Wichita at the State convention. Tons of people left. We waited to see what the final count was. 216 Hillary and 494 Obama. This didn't include the Edwards people and the undecided people. Now, you might be noticing that 216 plus 494 = 710 and you may remember that there were only 689 people in the room! People were yelling, the fire marshall was yelling and made everyone sit down. We definitely weren't over capacity in the room by that time, but he was still barking orders. No one from the caucus committee was trying to talk or make sense out of the situation. It wasn't over, but it was time to go - I'd had enough. We never heard the 3 minute speeches from each candidates side. We never had the opportunity to be convinced by the other side and realign ourselves. We felt let down. The night with all the potential definitely didn't end that way! There has to be a better way. After dropping my friend off, driving through the still totally dark streets of El Dorado, the thought came to me - we are still the greatest nation in the world. There were tempers tonight, but no one died, no one was beaten and there were no guns. There will be a new president. Things will be different and we will not have a war. We take this for granted. Many, many people in the world do not have the luxury of knowing that there will be a change without violence. Democracy will prevail!

There are two great blog posts over at EverydayCitizen.com that have photographs of two of Kansas' Super Tuesday caucuses. For some great pictures of people caucusing in Hays, Kansas, for the 36th Senate District, see this post first: They braved a blizzard, it was America at its very best everydaycitizen.com/2008/02/they_braved_a_blizzard_it_was.html Then, for a few photos from Lawrence, Kansas, too, check this one out: Caucus and Primary Low Down everydaycitizen.com/2008/02/caucus_and_primary_low_down.html

We had more than 1150 people at the 8th District Caucus in north Johnson Co. The lines extended along 87th to Lowell St., south along Lowell, and then well into a side street. Traffic was snarled on 87th St for some time, and people were parking all over the place along narrow residential streets blocks and blocks from the caucus. The caucus had to be held in 10 shifts, and didn't end until 10:30. The good news was that everyone did get to vote if they stayed in line, and that we had great discussions with each other while we were waiting, and morale was generally high. Nonetheless, we really need a primary!

I know Governor Sebelius is a Super Delegate, and I'm sure she'll vote for Obama, because she endorsed him.

I attended the caucus at Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village. 2,000+ people -- total chaos -- they finally opened the synagogue across the street to accomodate us all. My first caucus and while it was exciting to see soooooooo many Democrats out in one spot (didn't know we HAD that many in heavily Republican Johnson County) --- I would have preferred to just cast my vote and go home -- like in a "direct" primary. I too would like to know just how many people were at each of these events -- stunning! Duane

My caucus location was a Unitarian church on 87th Street & Lowell in OP. Cars were backed up on 87th to Antioch at 6:30ish. (Doors opened at 6, must be in line by 7). After sitting in traffic a few minutes I pulled into a side street and parked with others and walked (.4 miles to end of line). The line snaked north-west from Conser & Newton to Lowell, east to the church (.27 miles). From when I joined the line at 6:48 it was approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes (9:10) until they were able to move us into the waiting room/chapel at the church. When I arrived at the line it was 34 degrees outside, slightly windy and damp. It slowly got colder and wetter until about 8:40 when it started to rain, sleet & snow. Waiting outside an additional 30+ minutes in the sleet was a joy. Occasional people walked by and informed us that the voting was 160ish to 60-80ish (Obama/Clinton) in their caucuses. Numerous Obama supporters were visible with stickers on and occasional signs. No Clinton volunteers visible. The Obamians handed out some coffee to those in need. The Church was gracious and opened a house near the church for bathrooms and to warm up, few did since the wait was almost over. Temperature at 11pm was roughly 24 degrees. Waiting in the chapel and warming up was nice. The crowd in the room looked to be an even mix of 30-60 year olds with a small number of 20s & 60s. Very few older people, minorities or 18-25 year olds. We finally moved through the church halls to the caucus room about 10:20. One Clinton supporter had been identified, a few Sebelius pins with 'official caucus volunteer' beside them and more Obamians. Arriving in the room a visibly tired volunteer ran the show. The room was split, large crowd on one side, small on the other, a few oddball undecided people and Edwards supporters. She mentioned the $2 million the state chose not to spend on a primary and then handed out a manila envelope nicely asking for donations to defer costs. A brief explanation of how things would work, if anyone wanted to be a delegate and then a count off of each group. A few people yelled and hollered for their side while the more rational quietly tried to plead their cases to those in the undecided/Edwards crowd. A few switched to applause. No official speaker touting their candidate's qualifications. No organized discussion, no intermingling and cajoling. All looked exhausted and ready to go home. A count of each side was made and quickly a recount (people apparently can't stand in straight lines, a hand on the shoulder of the one in front and count off....amazing since they were taught this in 2nd grade). Class dismissed. Count for caucus #10 of the evening, 60 Obama, 28ish for Clinton. Estimates for the evening range from 1100-3000 at this location. I would guess 1500. Most appeared to be tired, cold, but happy to be there. I exited the church at 10:45, 4 hours after arriving. Nice long walk to a snow covered car via white and slippery sidewalks. Observations: a) the world needs to stop reproducing, or at the least, the democrats b) an amazing lack of discussion in my area of the line, almost nothing was discussed in 4 hours, and in particular minimal politics at best c) the majority around me had NO IDEA how a caucus was supposed to run, I apparently was the only one around who read some documentation online (the state party website had a decent explanation on their website) d) no one expected to be there more than an hour, let alone 4, 2+ of it out in the rain & sleet e) once in the caucus room, there was ZERO political discussion anywhere near me f) Most didn't seem to have a clue more educated than person 'A' is nicer, less corrupt, more trustworthy, or camera friendly than person 'B'. If they knew anything they were sure keeping it to themselves instead of discussing the merits of their candidate Was I glad I went, yes. Did the caucus system produce different results than a primary would have? Doubtful. Did 1000+ people utilize their god given brains to properly research the candidates and then the 2-4 hours they waited to discuss the merits of them amongst their peers as the caucus system is intended to do? No. Should the Democrats in Kansas hold primaries in the future? Yes. Should they be better organized, in more locations? Yes. Should people take personal responsibility and educate themselves better? Yes. Total delegate count for caucus (15 available): 4 Clinton, 11 Obama

My photos from the Sedgwick County Court House are here http://dcorrin.smugmug.com/gallery/4291347#251645611 It was a most incredible experience and I disagree with those who express a preference for just going to the polls and spending a few minutes with a voting machine. The energy and excitement generated by the process was quite impressive. It was encouraging to see the number of people who came out in the sleet and snow, and stood in the cold to participate. It was great to see neighbors and friends and get to visit with them during the process. It makes me hopeful that whoever is the nominee there will be lots of enthusiasm and energy among Democrats to get out there and elect a president and increase our hold on Congress. I really would like to see the vote totals for the various districts, to see how many participated at the various sites. D Corrin

We were at the most Republican senatorial district in Topeka. The day before, some of us put $1 in a pot and guessed how many would turn out. My pick was the highest--533 at the caucus. I won. People stood in line for an hour or more. More than half were not registered Democrats and we ran out of forms. We filled almost all the bleacher seats on all four sides of the West High gym. OVER 1,300 PEOPLE ATTENDED! Over 1,000 went for Obama. Someone said that this is not a campaign--it is a movement! I'm glad were were lucky enough to see it. I think this will change the political landscape of Kansas for several years to come! Claude Lee

I'm very interested what the participation percentage is for democrat caucus. Could that information be added? I caucused at the Mill Valley High School and we too were overcrowded, although everyone was in good spirits. They were told to expect 500 participants, but over 1500 showed up. We waited in line for more than an hour and half just to sign in. When we came out (9:30) it was blizzarding. Took 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot due to the traffic congestion. But, my candidate won...so it was all worth it to be a part of history!!!

I attended the caucus in Parsons,Ks at the VFW and in one respect was thrilled but felt like the evening was a disaster and really very unfair. My husband works 3:30 pm to 4 am so he was unable to attend. This alone is unfair for the probably thousands that were denied a chance to participate as well as unfair to the canidates. Having just had surgery I am not suppossed to be driving but I braved the cold rain on the 40 minute trip stood out in the dropping temps for an hour and then drove home in blinding sleet when I could of drove 6 blocks to the usual polling place along with my husband. My in-laws as well as a lot of others would not make the trip. What was even more disconcerting is that after we all got in to the hall it was total chaos. We did finally get to hear from the area leader read the letter from Larry and we did get to hear the 3 minute speeches for the canidates with an especially good one from a Republican until that night that was there to change her 50 year support of the Republican party to a vote for Hillary. I can tell you that in the group of people in the area immediate to where I was standing we were struck by the fact that the area leader had on a Obahma sticker and he kept telling the Clinton side to recount that the numbers were not adding up. Clearly the larger number of people were on the Clinton side of the room. After a lot of recounts some people were getting angry and began to leave. Judging from the exodus I would say at least 50 people left before the process was finished. I noted in an earlier comment that people were uninformed if they thought the process would only take an hour....from what I read while educating myself it was an hour and a half which the media was also reporting all day long in prep for the evening. Bottom line we need to have a primary so that all may have a say in our Democratic process.

This was my first caucus so i'am not to sure how it works. I went to 75th and nall must have been 15,000 people there.after waiting around 2 hours I made it inside.People was trying to reguster,after a bit no one showed id or anything.inside the room about 8:30 they said you could just sign for your person and go,but the sign up sheets were outside being past around.So i don't understand how this could be a democrtic caucus.All signs out frount were for Obama all the people at the tables that I saw had obama tags on.befor i left the room was a little over half for obama.paper claims a 3 to 1 vote how many was actuly democrats from 7th district in johnson county

Does anyone know how we can push for a primary rather than a caucus next time around? I think these numbers show that Kansas Democrats are on the rise and are active in their communities. We need to keep this momentum and get as many people as possible out there to vote. We can only do that if we are ready to handle the increased numbers. I think we have all heard how crazy the caucus sites got...

I would like to voice my preference for a primary rather than a caucus. Nearly 900 people showed up for the 25th senate district. It took over two hours to get my vote counted. I am very glad that Democrats were able to voice our choice for the party's nominee, but what a mess! Reasons not to have a caucus: Having a one hour window that takes many hours to complete discourages voters in general Having a one hour window leaves out voters who do not work 9-5 Having the process take 2-3 hours leaves families with children out Having it only in the evening leaves out people who don't drive for financial reasons, due to handicaps, or by choice. I was the only bicycle commuter willing to ride in snow and ice (but I thrive on that:D) ------------------------------ One last problem with this vote: computer "glitches" with voter registration I have been a registered democrat and at the same address for over 5 years. I was not on the list and had to register again. I was told about 100 people at my caucus had the same problem (100/900). How does a computer lose over 10% of registered voters? This is a very very serious problem!!!

Just so answer a question from above- who are super delegates are and who they've endorsed (if anyone) Governor Kathleen Sebelius (Obama) Congressman Dennis Moore (uncommitted) Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (uncommitted) Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates (uncommitted) KDP Vice Chair Teresa Krusor (Clinton) National Committeeman Lee Kinch (Obama) National Committeewoman Randy Roy (Obama) Could someone tell me if Helen Knetzer is a SD, too? They are all welcome, just like the rest of us, to choose whomever they wish. And, for all those who wish we had had a primary...talk to the Legislature, because Gov. Sebelius's budget had money in in last year for a primary, and the Legislature stripped it out.

In the comment above, I mentioned pictures available from Hays and Lawrence at EverydayCitizen.com, but forgot to mention this post from Wichita at EverydayCitizen.com .... so, here all three links: Hays = It was America at its very best Lawrence = Caucus and Primary Low Down Wichita = It was an amazing evening