Democrats line up to cast votes in North Dakota caucuses

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Democrats in North Dakota voted Tuesday in a revamped caucus system that promised far greater turnout and a chance to have a voice in a presidential contest not yet settled.

Bernie Sanders took the state just four years ago, clobbering Hillary Clinton in a traditional caucus format that rewarded highly organized campaigns with fervent followers willing to invest the time necessary to see the process through.

But Tuesday's test was in so-called “firehouse caucuses,” a modified format much closer to a standard election. Voters had an eight-hour window — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. — in which they could show up at any of 14 caucus sites around the state, cast their ballot and leave — a format seen as friendlier to Joe Biden. Republicans, with only President Donald Trump on the ballot, were holding their caucuses from 5 to 8 p.m.

Democrats were looking for turnout many times higher than the 3,400 people who took part in the 2016 caucuses, and heavy traffic at the Fargo site confirmed it. Several people said they stood in line as long as an hour to get into the union hall location to vote.

Heather Davin, 20, a student at North Dakota State University, parked half a mile away but said she didn't mind. She voted for Sanders, whom she said “has the most gumption in what he is talking about.”

“I am very surprised, very happy to see all these people representing the state," Davin said. "Get your exercise and get your vote.”

Connor Marchus, 20, another Sanders supporter who attends North Dakota State, also liked the revamped caucus format.

“It’s a slight inconvenience but overall when you look at the bigger picture, it’s great to have this many people vote," he said.

Linda Day, 80, of Fargo, voted for Biden.

“He is my man. I guess I’m kind of progressive but I do worry about Bernie being able to beat Trump, and I worry about Bernie having another heart attack," Day said. "The other thing is, I think Trump is very much afraid of Biden.”

Democratic Party spokesman Alex Rohr said the new format brings added excitement.

“When people have an opportunity for voting to be flexible, they participate more often,” Rohr said. “I think you see that everywhere.”

With only 14 pledged delegates in North Dakota, and much bigger prizes to be won Tuesday in Michigan, Washington and Missouri, neither Sanders nor Biden mounted much of a campaign in the state. Yet voters like Don Morrison of Bismarck — recently retired as executive director of the Dakota Resource Council, an environmental group — were eager to make their voices heard.

He was supporting Sanders, who he said represents the working people that have typically voted Democrat.

“This is an important part of the campaign," Morrison said. "This is great. This is exciting. It should really encourage people to go out and vote.”

Biden carried endorsements from establishment Democrats like former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and neighboring Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Karen Anderson, 60, who teaches at an alternative learning high school program in the Fargo area, was backing Biden. She said she saw him as the only good option.

Sanders, she said, is too polarizing and “it would just be another mess,” she said.