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I just slipped into my caucus site (Miller Community Center on 19th), dropped off my "preference" form, and slipped back out. I've been locked in a room for the last there weeks listening to my coworkers argue about Bernie vs. Hillary... so... you know... I've more than earned a pass on listening to my neighbors argue about Bernie vs. Hillary. I hope they're enjoying arguing with my husband, aka Hillary's Biggest Fan On Facebook, who did opt to stick around for the all-you-can-eat "reasonable discourse." I saw a lot of "Feel the Bern" buttons and t-shirts at our caucus site and way more "I'm With Her" buttons and t-shirts than I expected to see. But whoever made this sign...

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...is going to leave disappointed. My prediction: Capitol Hill—and Seattle and Washington state—will go for Bernie today, and by overwhelming numbers. But what's not true of Capitol Hill today will most likely be true of Capitol Hill in the fall: Capitol Bern-ary today, Capitol Hill-ary come November.

The line outside Century Ballroom is 16 tweets long...


Sean Nelson checks in from his caucus site...

37th District has huge turnout, bursting at the seams, hot, stuffy, and generally pleasant. A black man with long gray dreads started shouting about how Hillary was going to make a difference and "break that glass ceiling" and a couple of Bernie lovers near me scoffed and started talking about how "disgusting" the conversation had become. A woman read a letter from the Dems saying we have to be out of the room by 12:30 and to please limit speeches to 3 minutes or 1 minute for delegates—not sure how legal that is, but it's certainly welcome. One guy scolds another guy for taking a picture of the sign-in sheets with votes on them. The guy with the camera denies doing it. The other dude: "I totally saw what you did." Overheard from adjacent precinct: "I'm not excited about Hillary Clinton!" "Hillary supported DOMA!"

Our table goes 17-5 for Bernie. 11:02 AM... aaaaand done.

Sydney Brownstone tweets from the Garfield Community Center...

The line for the Democratic caucuses at the Garfield community center goes down the block! I know this is not what I should be thinking about, but there are some really cute, politically engaged girls here. And so far absolutely no one here wants to talk to me. Thanks, STRANGER.

Angela Garbes checks in from South Seattle...

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The Machinists Hall in South Park was at maximum capacity, which made me momentarily regret bringing my one-year-old, for fear she might get trampled. But then Cherry Liu, my twenty-five-year neighbor (and first-time caucaser), gave a speech in support of Bernie Sanders, saying that he has made disenfranchised people like herself—young people, immigrants—become engaged with the political process and I felt better. Liu thinks Sanders is "a genuine, regular person" who, unlike most politicians, really thinks about regular people's problems and concerns.

"I want free health care and college education for everyone," Liu said. "People make it seem like these are crazy ideas, but other countries do it. Why not America?"

She likes that Sanders is the only candidate asking not just "Why not America?," but "Why not now?"

My precinct split our six delegates: four for Sanders, two for Clinton. Based on the discussions I heard from precincts around me, South Seattle hoods are for Bernie.

So...

Terry just walked in the door. Hillary got 79 votes in our precinct, Bernie got 73. (And Terry got himself elected as a delegate to the 2016 Democratic Precinct Caucuses.) So, hey, our little corner of Capitol Hill is Capitol Hill-ary after all—but only barely.