How to participate in Minnesota's precinct caucuses

St. Paul, Minn. — Minnesota's precinct caucuses happen Tuesday. A guide for how to participate.

DEMOCRATS:

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's presidential preference ballot is binding on 72 yet-to-be-chosen delegates to the Democratic National Convention, as long as the candidate clears a 15 percent threshold in one of the state's eight congressional districts. Minnesota's 16 superdelegates are not bound by the vote.

Votes for president are accepted between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. at more than 4,000 DFL precinct caucuses. Caucus-goers can make presidential picks without sticking around to elect officers, choose delegates to county and Senate district conventions or shape the party's platform.

REPUBLICANS:

The GOP's nonbinding presidential straw poll does not commit the state's 41 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Caucus-goers can cast their votes when more than 4,000 GOP caucuses begin at 7 p.m.

By participating in precinct caucuses, supporters of presidential candidates can position themselves to eventually become delegates to the national convention and vote for their contender.

INDEPENDENCE PARTY:

The Independence Party of Minnesota holds more than 70 caucuses starting at 7 p.m., plus an online virtual caucus that runs for the next month at its Web site: http://www.mnip.org/.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)