Today is first step in delegate selection

Today's precinct caucuses are the first — and in many ways most important — step in the process that selects delegates to Republican and Democratic national conventions.

Democrats

The party will apportion 78 of its 97 delegates based on the results of today's caucuses. The rest are unpledged delegates and can support whomever they want.

Those unpledged delegates include 17 so-called superdelegates — elected officials and top party officers — and two add-on delegates nominated by party Chairman Dwight Pelz and elected by the party's Election Committee.

Additional caucuses and party conventions starting next month will whittle the thousands of delegates selected today down to the 78 who ultimately will attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August.

None of the Democratic delegates will be apportioned based on the Feb. 19 presidential primary.

Republicans

The Republicans are using both the caucuses and the presidential primary to allocate 37 of their 40 delegates to the national convention.

The party will allocate 18 delegates based on the results of the caucuses and 19 delegates based on the Feb. 19 primary election.

The remaining three positions are "automatic" delegates — the state party chairman and two national-committee members.

Additional caucuses and party conventions starting next month will whittle the thousands of delegates selected today down to the 37 who ultimately will attend the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., in September.