Ken
Sue: The link above might answer some of your questions. Sorry you will miss the caucus. The caucus process is harder on absentee issues in this state than it is in a few others if I remember correctly.
Here is the detailed answer for those who might have to miss the caucus but want to participate anyway.
From the FAQ on the Dem site (since they say it better than I do…
Can I vote absentee or by proxy in the Caucuses? No. There are only three reasons you can vote in the caucuses without being there. If you serve in the military, have a medical condition that prevents your attendance, or for religious reasons cannot attend your caucus, you can request an affidavit from the State Party. To find this affadavit, go to http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusinfo and download the Caucus Surrogate Affadavit Form. This must be returned to the State Party by February 1st. No one else can vote without being there. You can become a delegate without attending your caucus. College students registered at their home address but living away from home cannot vote but can become a delegate using the process described below.
Link to FAQhttp://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=266
The caucus has some strict time allotments and some that are soft. In general normal sized precincts will be done in about two hours.
Getting there early or at least on time will be best especially for those in large precincts since the sign-in process can become a bottleneck when turnout is as big as expected.
next: ok your precinct has no PCO. Yes that means one of your neighbors will have to volunteer at the caucus to run it. They will then appoint a secretary and a tally clerk. (assuming there are at least three people from your precinct)
More details and a You tube video of the step by step are at the state party page above.
Even though you might have to miss the caucus, if your precinct has no PCO, then you should consider becoming the PCO yourself. Candidate organizations urge their supporters to become PCO’s where possible. You can be appointed after filling out a short form at a district meeting and run for the position next year. It is a rare precinct that has contested PCO elections since it is an unpaid party position, but this year also included replacing a 34th district Senator and a Rep in which case ONLY PCO’s were allowed to vote for the replacements.
Here is the PCO handbook in html format
http://www.democracyforwashington.com/civicspace-0.5/?q=pcohandbook
For more info on caucus history,
this article is pretty easy to read.
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2008/01/questions-about.html
I see my link code is now being turned into alternate text. editing to re add full urls.