As the Blaine County Democratic chairwoman, I want to congratulate and thank the voters for the fantastic turnout to the caucus on Feb. 5. How extraordinary to have more than 1,500 people come out to vote on a cold, snowy evening. The crowd of 1,200 inside the Community Campus was overwhelming. Regrettably, traffic jams and parking problems prevented so many more from arriving on time.
The volunteers did a fantastic job with an almost impossible situation. There were glitches throughout the evening. Most attendees understood. The huge crowd made it a big success and also a problem.
The officers of the Blaine County Democratic Party have met and we will offer suggestions to the Idaho Democratic Party to ensure that no voters will be disenfranchised in the future.
The Community Campus was reserved in September. Who could have guessed we would have an overflow crowd in February. Four years from now for the next presidential election there may be larger accommodations. If not, two caucuses are possible, one each for north and south Blaine County. Buses can also be used to help alleviate the traffic jam.
The caucus procedure is confusing. In the future we will make an effort to explain the caucus rules that must be followed.
I sincerely want to thank all who attended, participated and/or volunteered at the caucus. It was an exciting evening, and even with the glitches a true representation of grassroots politics.
Betty Murphy
Blaine County Democratic chairwoman
