Understand the Washington state caucus in 4 minutes

To vote in the 2016 Presidential Primary, you must be a registered voter in Washington state (for either party) by April 25, 2016. In Washington State, all voters can participate without regard to their political party.

In most areas of South Snohomish County and in many other places around Washington the Republicans hold “pooled” caucuses, in which many precincts gather in the same place, many at Brier Terrace Middle School, many at College Place Middle School and many others at Mountlake Terrace Elementary School.

Thousands of Republicans will meet across the state Saturday for precinct caucuses, but the gatherings will lack the oomph of previous election years.

Republicans throughout Washington state are holding similar caucuses Saturday. That information will be sent to the state party, which it can share with candidates, but the information will not be released otherwise, Anders said.

The most noticeable difference is that no straw poll will be taken at the Saturday caucus locations.

A state also receives extra delegates if it can deliver a Republican candidate for a presidential election, as North Carolina did in 2012, when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the state.

Maine Democrats will be sending 30 delegates to their national convention.

Yes, the Presidential primary is May 24, when Republicans and Democrats vote for their favorite candidates using a mail-in ballot.

Primaries and caucuses are different.

The 2004 and 2012 state presidential primaries were canceled due to budget concerns.

Caucuses give political parties more assurance that loyal members are selecting their presidential nominees. The events, typically small gatherings in churches, schools and meeting halls, have proved vulnerable to takeovers by small but determined activist factions. The next year an initiative to the Legislature created the presidential primary.

“Each state gets delegates based primarily on the size of the state and how many congressional districts they have”, Pope said.

At the caucuses, both parties elect delegates to the county conventions, which then elect delegates to the state convention.

Democrats in Washington, meanwhile, will begin the process of selecting their presidential nominee in late March.

“It may still be interesting by the time our primary rolls around”, she said.