a) Not all states have a caucus system, only a few do. That system is designed to be an inter-party deal to elect delegates to the next round > County > State > National - and as such is really for party insiders, people who are - or want to be - involved in more than casting a vote. I found in the ones I was at in Iowa it was very 'small d' democratic in that your neighbors and yourself all had to stand up and talk about who you were for and why. It was a most enlightening deal, but I was (and am) a party type.
b) This is not a vote. It is a way for a political party to select a candidate. Inside the party there is nothing 'personal' about it. The vote for president is in November, and is closed and private.
