Missouri GOP Caucus: What to expect

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - If you live in Missouri and want to weigh in on who will get the GOP nomination for president, clear your calendar for Saturday morning to attend a caucus.

This year, there’s no state-run primary for president.

KCTV5 got a look at how a caucus is run in Iowa, the state known for caucusing.

Like in Iowa, be prepared to arrive early to register on site. You don’t need to be declared as a Republican in advance to participate in the GOP caucus. You just need to sign a form saying you’re aligned with the party, so it doesn’t matter which party ballot you picked in previous primaries.

KCTV 5 was able to speak with Missouri Republican Party Chairman Nick Myers, who gave some insight on what to expect.

Also Read: What’s a caucus? Iowa voters preview what to expect with Missouri Republican switch from primary format

”You have to be a registered voter, you have to have an ID that’s current and be able to sign a statement that says you’re a republican,” Myers said.

It’s a bigger time commitment than going to a polling place to cast a vote.

Doors close at 10 a.m. and stay closed until speeches are made and votes are counted.

“I wouldn’t expect it to take any less than three hours. You should arrive no later than 9, the caucus will convene at 10:00 sharp,” Myers continued.

It’s not a secret ballot like in primaries. You pick a candidate by standing in a spot designated for the candidate you support for everyone in the room to see.

Any candidate with less than 15 percent of the people in the room then chooses a candidate who has reached the threshold.

Read More: Take a look inside an Iowa caucus

And, if one candidate gets just one person more than 50 percent of the vote, its winner take all. That’s way different from a primary where it’s split proportionately according to how many votes a candidate gets.

“We did that to allow for more proportionality so we could be earlier in the process,” Myers said.

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