Caucuses are awesome: Iowa’s unique process explained with Lego

Well, the moment is almost here. After months of Trumpmania and feeling the Bern, voters in the US state of Iowa will finally select their choice for president Monday.

For those less familiar with the unique caucus system used by the midwestern state, the good folks at Vermont Public Radio (VPR) broke it down using a tool we can all understand - Lego.

VPR created this awesome explainer of the mechanisms of the Iowa Caucus with Lego characters and a helpful voiceover.

More than 100,000 caucusing Iowans are expected to turnout to one of 1,681 public places such as schools and community centers, but how they cast their vote depends on their party.

The Republican Caucus is simple enough. A representative for the candidates speaks on their behalf before a secret ballot is cast. The totals are then tallied statewide.

It’s a bit more complicated for Democrats. The out-in-the-open vote can take hours to complete with attendees having to cast their vote by physically standing in an area delegated to that candidate.

If the Democratic candidate fails to get 15 percent of the vote, they are eliminated in the first round. A so-called “realignment” period then takes place where voters who have lost a candidate are free to support another, often through methods of persuasion.

Those results are collated across the state in all precincts and eventually translated into votes for delegates who will represent their states at the party conventions this summer.

They are technically the ones who ultimately vote for the candidates for president - and vice president - to run in the national election.

There are times in real life - and fiction - when that can lead to some very late nights at the conventions.

Still confused? Just remember, Republicans vote with their hands, Democrats vote with their feet.