This year, the way Missouri Republicans weigh in on the presidential race will be a bit different.
Thanks to a 2022 law, Missouri counties are no longer responsible for conducting presidential preference primaries. Instead, that falls to county Republican and Democratic parties across the state.
Registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters will have the opportunity to caucus to send delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which takes place in mid-July. There, delegates take the official vote to officially select the party’s nominee for president.
Democrats will hold limited in-person voting on March 23, with the option for voters to vote using mail-in ballots.
Here’s what you need to know about participating in Missouri’s Republican presidential nominating caucuses:
When are the 2024 Republican presidential caucuses?
Who can participate in the Missouri Republican caucus?
What do I need to do to participate in the caucus?
Where are the 2024 presidential caucuses?
How long will the presidential caucus take?
Why is it a caucus this year and not a normal election?
When are the 2024 Missouri presidential caucuses?
All Missouri Republicans will caucus to elect nominating delegates on March 2, a Saturday. Doors open to the public at 9 a.m. and the caucuses start at 10 a.m.
Who can participate in the Missouri Republican caucus?
Any unaffiliated voter or registered Republican can participate in the caucus.
What do I need to do to participate in the caucus?
You need to be a registered voter and come with a government-issued photo ID.
The party encourages caucus participants to preregister online at this link. They ask for participants to fill out the form in all capital letters and match the information to your voter registration.
When you register, either ahead of time or in-person at the caucus, you’ll be asked to fill out a declaration that you are aligned with the Republican Party and registered to vote in Missouri.
Where are the 2024 presidential caucuses?
For a full list of caucus locations, follow this link. Counties are required to report their caucus locations to the state party by Feb. 16.
In Jackson County, registered Republicans will caucus at East Trails Middle School gymnasium at 1001 S.E. Bailey Road, Lee’s Summit.
In Clay County, caucusgoers will meet at Oak Park High School at 825 N.E. 79th Terrace, Kansas City.
In Platte County, arrive at the Walden Middle School gym at 4701 N.W. 56th St., Kansas City.
In Cass County, caucus at the Harrisonville Community Center at 2400 Jefferson Parkway, Harrisonville.
When do I need to register to participate in the Missouri Republican caucuses?
The last day to register to vote to participate in the caucus is Feb. 19, according to the state party.
How long will the presidential caucus take?
The duration of the day hinges on turnout, but the party said it designed Missouri’s caucuses this year to move as quickly as possible.
In Jackson County, the county GOP estimates the caucus will end around noon.
Who can I caucus for?
Three candidates filed to run for president in Missouri. To be considered among caucusgoers, candidates must have met requirements laid out by the Missouri GOP. Remaining candidates who have met those requirements are:
Donald J. Trump
Nikki Haley
David Stuckenberg
What is a caucus?
Caucuses are meetings of party members run by political parties. Participants align themselves with a candidate to determine the number of delegates sent to a congressional district convention in April, then the statewide convention in May. By then, Missouri will have allocated its votes among the 54 delegates sent to the Republican National Convention.
While weighing in on the presidential race, caucusgoers also vote on the state’s party platform.
How does a caucus work?
Participants divide themselves into groups by the candidate they support, and undecided participants gather together. Those aligned with a candidate make speeches to convince undecided participants of the candidate they support.
When you arrive, expect to elect leadership in the room who will help administer the caucus.
After the first round of aligning, if a candidate receives less than 15% support in the room, supporters of the candidate are asked to realign with another candidate.
If a candidate receives a majority of support in the caucus room, all of the county’s delegates will support that candidate.
If there is a plurality of support for one candidate but not a majority, caucus participants and leaders elected in the room will have 30 minutes to debate how the delegates will be divided. If debate isn’t concluded within 30 minutes, it is up to the chair of the caucus how that support will be distributed.
Why is it a caucus this year and not a presidential preference primary?
The Missouri General Assembly passed a sweeping election bill in 2022 that eliminated the presidential preference primary. Traditionally, Missouri’s presidential primary came late enough in the year that nominees for the major political parties were all but decided. That left administering the presidential election to political parties, who decide which candidates they will have their delegates support.
“Doing this will save the state about $10 million,” Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft told Nexstar. “I’m sure that after we’re done with the caucus, we’ll have a discussion about whether or not the legislature should have removed the primary or not, or if we should go back to that,” Ashcroft said.
Missouri’s primary for other statewide and local offices will be held Aug. 6.
