Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer says there’s little chance non-Iowans will end up attending the Caucuses on Monday night.Fischer says precinct chairs can ask for proof of residency if they have doubts someone lives permanently within their neighborhood. Fischer says “it’s about impossible” for outsiders to infiltrate the Caucuses. He says the Caucuses are very, very difuse, and he says they’re awarding delegates, so it’s not one person one vote.Rival campaigns have charged the legions of Howard Dean backers who’ve come into the state to help organize for the Caucuses, as well as out-of-state union organizers who’re working on Dick Gephardt’s behalf will try to participate in the Iowa Caucuses on Monday night. You need not be a registered democrat to attend a party caucuses, but if you aren’t a registered Iowa democrat, you must register as one on Monday night before you can participate. Fischer says Iowa’s had a history of open caucuses, and he says it’s important to keep them as open as possible. Folks who register at their precinct Caucus must sign a document pledging they do indeed live in the precinct. Those who fib can be charged with perjury, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a maximum fine of 75-hundred dollars. Fischer and Secretary of State Chet Culver will hold a news conference at the statehouse this afternoon to ask the national media not to report entrance polls before the Caucuses start. Iowa Democratic party officials say reporting that data early could influence those who hear it and then walk into a caucus.
