Here, in question-and-answer format, is a primer on how the Feb. 5 caucus will work based on information from state Republican Party officials:
Q: What's with this caucus? I thought Montana had a presidential primary?
Montana Democrats will still use the June 3 primary to help decide which presidential candidates their delegates will support.
Q: Will the Montana nominating delegation's votes at the national convention be divided proportionally according to the Feb. 5 vote.
A: No. It's a winner-take-all caucus. The 25 delegates Montana Republicans send to the 2008 nominating convention must all vote for whichever candidate wins the Montana caucus.
Q: Who's eligible to vote in the Republican caucuses?
A: A potential 2,739 people statewide are eligible to take part in the county caucuses, said Jake Eaton, state Republican political director. Here's how it breaks down: 1,726 county precinct committeemen and women, 672 county central committee officers; 218 county government elected officials; 74 legislators; 45 state executive board members and four statewide elected officials.
In some cases, Eaton said, a legislator might also be a precinct committeeman or woman. If so, that person would only be able to vote once.
Q: I vote Republican. Can I participate in the caucus?
A: You can take part in the caucuses only if you hold one of the offices listed above.
Q: What qualifications are there to run for a precinct slot?
A: You have to be at least 18 years old and live in the precinct you're running for. Participants have to be Republicans, although Eaton said there are no litmus tests.
Q: How do I apply to be a precinct committeeman or committeewoman so I can take part in the caucuses?
A: It's a four-step process, said state GOP Executive Director Chris Wilcox.
First, call your county clerk and recorder's office or election administrator to see which precinct you live in.
Second, you must contact your county central committee chairman to find if that precinct is open. Go to www.mtgop.org and click on “counties” in the lefthand column to find out who your local chairman is. Call or e-mail that person to see if there is a vacancy in your precinct and when the application is due.
Third, if your precinct is vacant, you must fill out a precinct committeeman nomination form. You can download it at www.mtgop.org/images/MT/Precinct%20Committeeman%20Nomination%20Form.pdf.
Fourth, the full county central committee will vote to appoint someone to a vacant precinct spot. If more than one person has applied for the same precinct slot, the central committee will choose which one gets the post.
Q: When is the deadline to apply?
A: There isn't a firm deadline, except that all applications are due 10 days before the Feb. 5 caucuses. Interested people shouldn't wait until late January, but ought to start applying soon.
Fifteen counties, including some of the most populous counties such as Flathead, Gallatin and Yellowstone, will choose their precinct committee people on Jan. 8, Eaton said.
Wilcox urged interested people to contact their county party chairman soon.
Q: Are there still a lot of precinct positions open?
A: As of earlier Wednesday, 698 of the 1,726 precinct jobs have been filled. That's twice as many precinct slots filled as there usually are, Eaton said.
In addition, Eaton said, some county central committee officers' jobs remain unfilled.
Q: When and where are the county caucuses?
A: That is determined by the Republican county central committee. The state party is requiring county caucuses to report their results by 10 p.m. Feb. 5. State party officials then will tally the statewide caucus votes.
Q: If I'm backing one of the Republican presidential candidates, can get in touch with that campaign directly?
A: Yes. The campaigns should be able to get you applications for precinct jobs and may know which seats in your county are open. Each campaign is looking for all the votes it can get.
Q: How do I contact a campaign?
A: Here are the names of the people running the various Republican presidential campaigns active in Montana and their e-mail addresses:
n Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: Dustin Stewart, dstewart@montana.com.
n Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: Steve Daines, sddaines@aol.com.
n Texas Rep. Ron Paul: Dave Hart, mt@ronpaul2008.com.
n Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Chuck Denowh, montana@mittromney.com.
n Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson: Tom and Judy Rolfe, tomandjudy@bresnan.net.
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