Democratic and Republican presidential candidates on Saturday will have a chance to pick up delegates at the state presidential caucus.



The caucus will allow both parties to decide how their delegates will represent the state at their 2016 national conventions.



The Saline County Republican caucus is scheduled for 9 a.m to 2 p.m. in the Central High School auditorium, 650 E. Crawford.



�We will open doors at 8:30 (a.m.) and then have a program, where we�re hoping to have a guest speaker at 10 (a.m.),� said Clarke Sanders, chairman of the Saline County Republican party. �After that we will start giving out ballots for everyone to vote. People can also come in, vote and leave. You don�t have to stay, just get there before 2 or else you won�t be allowed to participate.�



To vote in the Republican caucus, participants must be a registered Kansas Republican and will need to present a photo ID.



The deadline to register as a Republican for the state caucus has passed.



The Saline County Democratic caucus is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. in the South High School cafeteria, 730 E. Magnolia.



The actual caucus won�t begin until 3 p.m., but doors open at 1 p.m. �to leave room for people to register, before speeches and people begin standing for their candidate preference,� said Phil Black, chairman of the Saline County Democratic Party.



�People must get there by 3 o�clock or they will not be allowed to caucus,� said Kerry Gooch, state Democratic Party Executive Director. �You can show up at 3:01 and I�m still telling people not to let anyone participate.�



To participate in the Democratic caucus, participants must be a registered Kansas Democrat. Prospective participants can register the day of the caucus or beforehand by visiting the Saline County Clerk office, 300 W. Ash, room 215.



During the last presidential election, Saline County Republicans had the highest per capita turnout statewide, Sanders said. There were 684 attendees.



�We�re hoping to exceed last year�s numbers,� he said. �With all the interest and media attention surrounding this election, we�re expecting a big turnout once again no matter who receives the most delegates. It�s possible three or four candidates will leave Kansas with delegates this year.�



The Saline County Democratic caucus had 663 participants during the last presidential election.



�That number should rise this time around, I believe,� Black said. �We have two really strong candidates who people are excited about. I believe the turnout will be great and we will hear people voicing why they believe in their candidate.�



Different party methods



For the Republican caucus � which will be done traditionally by casting a ballot, although secretly �candidates must get at least 10 percent of the votes to win delegates, up from last election�s 20 percent requirement.



For the Democratic caucus � where voters will caucus, or stand up for their candidate preference � candidates must have 15 percent of the total number of attendees in the room caucusing to be considered a �viable candidate.�



�Our caucus is different because individuals will get there and side with their respective candidate,� said Carol Viar, co-chairperson of the Saline County Democratic party. �A certain percentage of people must be in that group or it gets shut down. That person can then leave, sit back down, or join another candidate�s group. The delegates will be divided based on the percentage of people in each group.�



Black said he is a big fan of the Democratic method.



�The best thing we have is our difference in methods because we make people be responsible for their votes,� he said. �There�s something to be said for people not only to vote, but be informed of what�s going on and at our caucus you see people being more informed.�



Sanders said candidates with active campaigns (Trump, Rubio, Cruz in Kansas) can have their voices heard by designating a surrogate, sending a letter to be read by the chairman or authorizing that the floor be opened up and people speak on their behalf.



Attendees at both caucuses can choose to vote �uncommitted.�



�The uncommitted side can win delegates as well for both parties and when their delegates are chosen at the district or state meetings these delegates become super delegates in a sense because they can wait to decide who they want to vote for at the National Convention,� Gooch said.



Delegate breakdown



For the Republicans, 40 delegates will be up for grabs statewide.



Out of the 40 delegates, 12 will be picked from the four state congressional districts, three in each district by way of counties sending nominated delegates to a district meeting. Three delegates are predetermined and bound to the highest vote-getter � the state chairman Kelly Arnold, national committeewoman Helen Van Etten and national committeeman Todd Tiahrt � and the remaining 25 will be at-large delegates, voted on at a state republican meeting, said Saline County Republican party chairman Clarke Sanders.



On the Democratic side, 37 total delegates will be won statewide, including four super delegates, or unpledged delegates.



Out of the 37 delegates, 22 congressional delegates will be picked from the four congressional districts by way of counties sending nominated delegates to a district meeting. The delegates will be proportioned �based on the amount of democratic voters in the 2012 presidential and governor�s races and 2014 statewide races.,� Gooch said.



The four Democratic super delegates are predetermined, but not bound to any candidate. The Democratic super delegates are the state chairman Lee Kinsh, vice chairwoman Melody McCray-Miller, national committeeman Bill Roy Jr. and national committeewoman Teresa Krusor. Super delegates, unlike regular delegates, aren�t bound to a particular candidate before the National Convention, but can decide the day of the convention which candidate they�d like to vote for.



The remaining 11 delegates will be at-large delegates decided by the state committee by the end of April, four of which will be state party leaders including local representatives and state legislatures.



Kansas makes up just a small portion of nationwide delegates needed to win the Republican and Democratic presidential bids. Kansas Republican delegates (40) represent 1.62 percent of nationwide delegates while Kansas Democratic delegates (37) represent less than one percent of nationwide delegates.



There are 2,472 Republican delegates up for grabs nationwide and a candidate must receive 1,237 to win.



That number rises substantially on the Democratic side with 4,765 delegates up for grabs and a candidate needing 2,383 to win.



The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 18-21 in Cleveland, Oh., and the Democratic National Convention is scheduled for July 25-28 in Philadelphia, Pa.



� Reporter Eric Wiley can be reached at 822-1407 or by email at ewiley@salina.com.