Every election year as determined by State election law, the Republican Party holds Precinct Caucuses in every precinct. In 2012, the Precinct Caucuses will be at 7:00 PM on February 7.  Anyone can attend the precinct caucus where they live and vote assuming they will be eligible to vote in November of that election year and desire to vote for and support Republican candidates.

If you are not sure about what district you live in, use the Minnesota Secretary of State's Caucus Finder.  Note that Precinct Caucus locations do not necessarily correspond with your polling place.   The Republican Precinct Caucus locations for Wright County can be found here.

At the Precinct Caucus, attendees will elect delegates and alternate delegates from their precinct to represent them at the Basic Political Organizing Unit (BPOU) Convention.  Precinct caucus attendees may also present amendments to the Republican Party of Minnesota platform.  If approved by a majority of the delegates, those amendments are forwarded to the BPOU for inclusion and debate at the BPOU convention.

In 2012, the Republican Party of Wright County BPOU Convention will be held on March 10 at the Discovery School in Buffalo.

At the convention, each BPOU will elect delegates and alternate delegates to both the Congressional District Convention in which the BPOU resides and to the State Convention. Like at the Precinct Caucus, amendments will be debated and if approved, sent forward to the Congressional District Convention.  At the BPOU Convention, the BPOU may endorse candidates for the State House and State Senate districts that lie within their boundaries.

The 6th Congressional District Convention will be held on April 13 and 14 at the Mounds View Civic Center.

Like at the Precinct Caucuses and the BPOU Convention, amendments will be debated and if approved, sent forward to the State Convention.  At the Congressional District Convention, the delegates will endorse a candidate for their US Congressional District.  This year, 3 Republican National Convention will be elected.  They will endorse a candidate for President at the national convention.

This is were all proposed amendments to the platform forwarded from the Congressional Districts will be debated, amended, and voted up or down.  In 2012, a candidate for US Senate will be endorsed and the State's at large delegates to the National Convention will be selected.

If you wish to become a delegate, you or somebody else must nominate you. Then a vote by all of the precinct caucus attendees is held with those people receiving the highest number of votes becoming delegates to the BPOU Convention.

The process repeats itself at your BPOU Convention to become a delegate to your Congressional District Convention or the State Convention.

How Much Time Does It Take?
Precinct caucuses are typically a 1 or 2 hour event in the evening. BPOU and Congressional District Conventions are typically held on a Saturday morning and will last around 5 or 6 hours.

The State Convention is a multiple day event and depending upon where you live and where the convention is held, you may need to pay for a hotel.

How Much Does It Cost?
There is typically a nominal registration fee at each convention to cover the cost of the convention. It is typically around $15 or $20 if you register in advance for BPOU and Congressional District Conventions.  The State Convention costs a little more. There is no cost to attend the Precinct Caucuses.