The primaries start this year in the state of Iowa. Although commonly referred to as primaries, two different systems are used during primaries: primaries and caucuses.
During a primary, eligible residents of the state cast their votes in the voting booth. But ssome states, such as Iowa, prefer a so-called caucus. This involves convening a popular meeting in which registered members of a party vote for the candidate of their choice by raising their hands or standing in separate groups. During a caucus, the candidates are often first debated, where everyone can put forward their arguments to try to convince the others.
Read more about it here.
