Area Republican leaders are set to hold the state’s presidential caucus on March 5, the first for the commonwealth.
Party officials hope the move from a traditional primary election to a caucus will make the state more relevant in the eventual selection of the party’s candidate for the 2016 election.
“I think we will have a whole lot more voice now,” Earl Bush, the Republican Bracken County judge-executive said. “I think it will build some interest up; it might even get some interest from the candidates themselves.”
There are just three weeks until the voter registration deadline for Kentuckians who want to vote in the caucus on March 5. Only voters who are registered as Republicans by Dec. 31, will be eligible to vote in the caucus.
To register to vote or change party affiliation, a voter registration card can be obtained and submitted at a county clerk’s office, or it can be downloaded at elect.ky.gov and mailed to the State Board of Elections.
The Republican Party of Kentucky’s governing body decided in August to select its preference for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination through a caucus instead of the usual presidential primary.
On March 5, Republican voters will come to caucus locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to vote for their Republican nominee for president by secret paper ballot.
Locally, locations have been established in most counties. In Mason County, voting will take place at the Rotary Clubhouse in Maysville. Fleming County caucus-goers will vote at Fleming County High School and in Bracken County at the Bracken County Courthouse old courtroom. In Lewis County, the middle school in Vanceburg will be caucus central.
No information was available on Robertson County which does not have an organized Republican county party.
Polling sites at each location will be manned by volunteers who will check in voters and also count ballots on site, officials said.
In Lewis County, Republican Party Chairman Ben Harrison said ballots may be counted throughout the day so a rolling total is available. Bush said the process will be “completely open.”
“Kentucky is getting more attention from presidential candidates and seeing more campaign activity here than ever before,” said state party Chairman Mac Brown. “The decision to hold our first ever presidential caucus has given Kentucky Republicans a greater role in selecting our nominee for president.”
To date, seven candidates have filed to be on the caucus ballot: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump. The filing deadline for candidates is Jan. 7. Kentucky’s delegates to the Republican National Convention will be awarded proportionally to candidates based on the results of the caucus.
Republican voters can learn more about the caucus by visiting the state party’s caucus website at www.rpk.org/caucus.