My sister and I (Dean Stormers) were in the long security check line at the airport in Des Moines Tuesday afternoon. We struck up a conversation with a woman and her son who were for Kerry. After congratulating them on his win, we asked what type of work they had done for the Kerry campaign. She said that on caucus night they were "persuaders" for Kerry. I asked what that ment and she said they would stand in the hallway outside the actual caucus room (a spillover area) and wait for people to come out. At her caucus, the undecided group came out into the hallway to discuss and be courted by the various captains, etc. The Kerry people had been told that once a voter set foot outside the caucus room they were fair game and anyone could talk to them. So they would try to persuade the voter to go to Kerry. The woman and her son were from Massachusetts. Naturally, my sister and I took the position that their actions were illegal. They countered that first of all it's not "illegal" in the sense that a legislature passed a law. These are caucus rules set by the Democratic party. Second, it is allowed (according to them) to stand in the hallway and have a conversation that is overheard by a voter. They said there's no material difference between that and directly engaging the voter in conversation.
We Stormers had been told that under no circumstances could we interact with ANY person at a caucus location. If we were a van driver helping little old ladies into the caucuses we could help them to a seat, but must immediately leave without speaking to anyone. Any action that could raise even a hint of impropriety was forbidden and we signed a statement to that effect.
I think everyone agrees that the Dean caucus captains were lacking in experience and the Dean organization was perhaps not prepared for the cutthroat tactics employed by the other campaigns in the actual caucuses. The question is whether the tactics were legal hardball or illegal election fraud.
Apparently down the street at Kerry HQ there was an organized program of Kerry Persuaders who did intervene directly all over the state. Election fraud? What do you think?