Is There Trouble Brewing at the Iowa Caucus'?

Presidential hopeful Chris Dodd has called on the other democratic hopefuls to Keep Iowa Caucus Clean.

Here is what happens at an Iowa caucus.  If you have already declared a party affiliation then your name is on the list at your local precinct.  If you are undeclared or a new voter you fill out a paper stating that you do reside in the precinct you are voting at.

The problem is because this happens at the start of the caucus there is usually no time to verify the information a potential voter supplies. 

To date there has been no major problems with out of state voters abusing this but during the last caucus an out of state journalist did try and put one over on the election officials.  Because the document that you sign is a legals document the state has the right to charge you with a misdemeanor.

In Iowa's defense the above journalist was caught, tried and convicted.  He received a monetary fine and several hundred hours of community service.  The maximum punishment is 5 years and/or a $7500 fine.

I applaud Mr. Dodd for his effort to keep Iowa caucus clean.  He has urged the other democratic hopefuls to sign a pledge affirming that they will also run a fair race and not bring in out of state staff members to vote in the Iowa caucus.