Article: Iowa caucuses 'a grown-up game of Red Rover' ; Among Democrats, the rules often make second choices more important than first choices.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Forget the idea of showing up, casting a ballot and going home.

In Iowa -- particularly among Democrats -- democracy is face- toface, played out in living rooms and middle school cafeterias.

On Thursday, Democrats and Republicans will go to designated spots in their precincts and, often after enduring a brief series of speeches, pick who they back for president.

Among Republicans, it's a fairly straightforward process: They'll take a straw vote, and they'll tell state party headquarters who the winner is. The candidate with the most votes overall wins, and that decision will, hopefully, influence the party's selection of delegates, a months-long process that goes far ...

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