Presidential nominee voting cranking up in Missouri

Missouri voters will get a chance to help nominate Democratic and Republican presidential candidates this month.

Those wishing to caucus with Republicans will gather Saturday, March 2, while Democrats will hold a primary Saturday, March 23.

The Republican caucuses are not new to the state. Including this year, Republicans have voted for presidential nominees in half of the last eight cycles by caucus.

This type of election process works as we famously observe every four years in Iowa -- those wishing to cast a ballot gather on a specific day, listen to pitches for the various candidates and then vote.

This year, the state's Republican leaders are trying to keep their caucuses free of crossover votes by asking those who want to vote in the caucuses to sign a pledge.

"In order to have some way of getting people to at least commit to being Republican, we're asking them to sign a Republican pledge in support of what the Republican Party stands for in order to enter the caucus," explained Matt Henson, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Central Committee.

There will be a caucus location in each county, with the event beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2. Officials urge those attending to arrive early to check in. Voters will need a photo identification.

Local caucus locations are:

• Bollinger County -- Bollinger County Library, 207 Mayfield Drive in Marble Hill;
• Cape Girardeau County -- Arena Building, 410 Kiwanis Drive in Cape Girardeau;
• Perry County -- Knights of Columbus Hall, 31 S. Church St. in Perryville;
• Scott County -- Scott County Courthouse, 131 S. Winchester St. in Benton.

For more information about the process, visit Missouri.gop, email Chandler@mogop.org or call (573) 606-0402.

Democrats will be holding a traditional primary, albeit with a small voting window on the day of.

Any voter not registered as a Republican may vote in the primary, and there will be at least one voting location in each county.

Party officials have encouraged voters to cast ballots by mail.

In-person voting will occur from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 23, and local polling locations are:

• Cape Girardeau County -- Shawnee Park Center, 835 S. West End Blvd. in Cape Girardeau;
• Perry County -- University of Missouri Extension Center of Perry County, 321 N. Main St. in Perryville;
• Scott County -- Scott County Courthouse, 131 S. Winchester St. in Benton.

A location for Bollinger County has not yet been identified.

For more information regarding the Democratic primary, visit missouridemocrats.org, email info@missouridems.org or call (573) 777-1364. For those wanting to request a mail-in ballot, visit request.mrgvote.com/Missouri or call (855) 433-8683.