Minnesota GOP Caucuses Could Take On Added Importance

While much of the attention in the political world is on South Carolina and its presidential primary today, Minnesota quietly is gearing up for its .

And depending on who comes out on top in today's GOP race, our state’s caucuses could grab some headlines.

Minnesota is one of three states—Colorado and Missouri are the others—with either caucuses or primaries on Feb. 7.

If no GOP candidate takes control of the presidential race in today’s South Carolina primary or the Jan. 31 Florida primary, Feb. 7 could become a vital date on the presidential nomination calendar.

For a state-by-state calendar of this year’s presidential primaries and caucuses, click here.

CAUCUS SITES ANNOUNCED

This past week, Minnesota’s major political parties—DFL, Independence and Republican—announced the sites of their respective precinct caucuses.

Caucus sites for Lakeville residents include:

• DFL—All Lakeville precincts will caucus at Lakeville South High School, 21135 Jacquard Ave. For more information about the Senate District 36 DFL, click here.

• Independence—A caucus for the entire Second Congressional District, which includes all of Lakeville, will be hosted by a delegate in Apple Valley. The Independence Party website says more details will be available later this month. For more information about the Independence Party, click here.

• Republican (GOP)—All Lakeville precincts will caucus at Lakeville North High School, 19600 Ipava Ave. For more information about the Senate District 36 GOP, click here.

In Minnesota, the DFL, Independence and Republican parties are considered major parties. For the definitions of major and minor political parties in Minnesota, click here.

All caucuses begin at 7 p.m.

WHAT'S A CAUCUS?

A caucus helps a political party gain consensus as to how voters have aligned their political and candidate preferences.

But at a caucus, there’s more going on than just candidate selection. Participants sometimes select county committee chairs that go to a state—and sometimes national—convention.

What distinguishes a caucus from a primary is that at a primary, voters don’t have to be present at one particular location at a specific time. For a primary, voters just go to their polling place and cast a vote, the same as they would do at a general election.

For a caucus, you have to be physically present at your designated caucus site, register, show your party affiliation and then participate in the process. Attendees participate directly.

To take part in a caucus, you must be eligible to vote in the 2012 general election and live in the precinct.

Each party has its own rules and guidelines it follows.

Additional caucus information—including a caucus finder—can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State website by clicking here.