Missouri Republicans will voice their presidential preference in caucuses this year

Missouri is no longer hosting a statewide presidential preference primary.

Instead, the Missouri Republican Party will be conducting county level caucuses to begin the process of selecting a presidential candidate for its party.

In Missouri, eight presidential candidates have completed the necessary paperwork to be considered by voters. Three of these candidates, Doug Burgum, Chris Christy and Tim Scott, have since terminated their campaigns.

The remaining candidates eligible for support at the caucus are Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and David Stuckenberg.

Although he is still in the race, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not file the necessary paperwork in Missouri. He will not be eligible for delegate support at Missouri caucuses.

Since the caucus is not conducted by the state, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is the election authority for all state-conducted elections, recommends contacting local or state level party offices for more information.

“We have information for the state party on our website,” Ashcroft said, “We have a landing page, a splash page, now that's set up for putting out information about the caucuses. As we get it from the parties, we’ll do that.”

How do I participate in the caucus?

The caucuses will happen at designated locations in each of the state’s 114 counties on March 2 at 10 a.m.

For those in Greene County, that location will be the Oasis Convention Center, 2550 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield.

All others will find their caucus locations on the Missouri Republican Party website. Some counties have not yet added their location, but will do so soon.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Voters are advised to arrive early, as no one will be allowed entry after 10 a.m., with the exception of those already in line awaiting entry prior to 10 a.m.

Pre-registration will be available online at the Missouri Republican Party’s website in the coming weeks prior to the caucus. While not required, pre-registration is recommended to expedite the entry process.

To participate, you must be a registered voter in your county. Voter registration can be done with your local election authority or online on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.

More: Missouri voter registration guide: Checking voter registration status, options to vote

It is unclear whether standard voter registration deadlines for statewide elections apply to the caucus. Danette Proctor, chair of the Greene County Republican Central Committee, recommends that voters complete this registration as soon as possible.

“What I would suggest to people, if they're wanting to participate and we hope they do, be sure you are registered,” Proctor said. “Go ahead and get registered to vote now.”

State rules say that voter registration ends 27 days before the election in which a person plans to participate. According to this, Feb. 2 would be the final business day to register to vote before the Republican county level caucuses.

When registered voters arrive, they will be required to show their government issued photo ID. If you don’t have one, either a driver’s license or state ID card, Ashcroft recommends doing so immediately.

“If people don't have one of those, our office is glad to help them get one, but it takes a little bit of time, so go ahead and reach out to us now,” Ashcroft said.

Participants must also sign a pledge affirming that they are strong and faithful Republicans.

The exact wording is as follows: “I hereby pledge my allegiance to the Missouri Republican Party. I believe in the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and a strong national defense. I commit to uphold the values of the Republican Party and to work to advance these goals. I am a strong and faithful Republican voter.”

Once registered, voters will receive a credential card that will grant them entry to the caucus.

What should I bring to the caucus?

Be sure to bring your government issued photo ID, as you won’t be allowed entry without it.

In addition, it is recommended to dress comfortably, as there is no telling how long the caucus will last.

Participants may want to bring snacks and drinks with them to the caucus, in case it runs longer than breakfast can hold off their appetite.

“We will have a water station but they may want to bring some snacks, or they may want to bring their own bottled water with them,” Proctor said.

Finally, voters should come well-informed about the candidate that they hope to support. It is recommended to have a working knowledge of other presidential hopefuls as well.

“By the time we get to our caucus, we're gonna get closer to knowing what candidates are left," Proctor said. “Then the ones that are left, they just need to study them and see which one they want to get behind.”

More: Mark your calendar with these important 2024 Missouri election dates

What happens once registered and admitted entry to the caucus?

Once admitted to the caucus, a caucus chair and secretary will be elected. Following this, nominations will be heard for eligible presidential candidates, meaning those who completed the necessary paperwork to file in Missouri.

In Springfield, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller will deliver a credential report, which details exactly how many people have been registered and granted entry to the caucus.

Then, participants will begin to break into sub-caucus groups according to their candidate of choice.

Candidates with fewer than 15% of attendees in support will not qualify for representation at the state or congressional level. Supporters will be asked to declare for an alternate candidate.

If there is a majority of supporters for any one candidate, meaning anything over 50%, all delegates will represent that candidate as the county’s choice for the Republican presidential candidate.

If none earn a majority, but have the support of at least 15% of the participants, there will be a plurality, and delegates will be split proportionally between the selected candidates.

Once this portion of the caucus has concluded, participants will begin to shape the Republican party platform, which will be in effect for the next 10 years.

The Missouri Republican Party will be providing a draft platform for review closer to the caucus. Participants can propose additions or deletions to that platform.

Once approved, the county level platform will advance to the congressional and state conventions, respectively, along with the delegates chosen to represent their selected presidential candidates.

Delegates chosen at these Republican county level events will go on to represent their counties at the state and/or congressional conventions. During these events, delegates representing their chosen presidential candidate will be selected to attend their party’s national conventions.

There will be eight presidential electors selected for each congressional district, and another two are selected at the state convention. These make up the 10 electoral college votes that Missouri receives in the presidential election.

What will Missouri Democrats be doing to choose their presidential candidate?

The Missouri Democratic Party will be conducting a primary, with options to vote either in-person at select locations or via mail-in ballot. This primary will be held March 23.

To participate in this primary, you must declare your party affiliation as a Democrat. This can be done either in-person at your local election authority or online at the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.

Registered Democrats can request their ballot in early February, with distribution scheduled to start on Feb. 12. The final day to request a ballot is March 12.

Rules for this primary are still being finalized, and further details about the polling locations and where ballots can be requested or picked up will be available in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Everything you'll need to participate in Missouri Republican caucuses