How you can participate in Saturday's GOP caucuses

Here are some practical tips on how to caucus Saturday when 6,700 Republican precincts will choose delegates to help nominate a presidential candidate:

? Register to vote, as only registered voters may participate.

? Find out where your precinct will caucus; you can only caucus in the precinct where you're registered to vote. You can find your caucus location at the state Republican Party website, www.wsrp.org.

? Don't sleep late, as the caucuses start at 10 a.m. Party officials advise arriving at 9:30 to get checked in. Anyone arriving after 10:30 will not be allowed to vote.

? Bring your voter-registration card for easier check-in.

? Fill out a form that says you are a member of the Republican Party, a legal resident of your precinct, a registered voter and will not participate in the caucus or convention of another party. Mark your preference for president in the caucus straw poll.

? Move to the actual caucus, where you'll sit with fellow precinct members around a table or in a classroom. Between 10 and 10:30 a.m., you may discuss your priorities for the party platform and the merits of candidates.

? At 10:30, precincts will start voting to elect delegates. The number of delegates per precinct is derived from a formula based on Republican votes that a precinct cast in 2008 for statewide offices. All precinct-committee officers are automatic delegates, regardless of whom they may support. They are also automatically caucus chairs.

? To get selected as a delegate, you must get more than 50 percent of your precinct vote. With each vote, the candidate with the lowest total is dropped from the running until a delegate is elected.

? Make lunch plans, because the caucus must wrap up by noon. By early evening the straw-poll results should be reported to the media.

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017598278_gopcaucusesside26m.html?syndication=rss

leon russell ncaa basketball meredith vieira josh hamilton whale shark whale shark fab melo