The Republican Colorado caucuses are finally here and if you are a registered Republican this is your chance to have your voice heard.
Hundreds of volunteer precinct leaders will be running meetings tonight across the state beginning around 7 p.m., according to the Colorado Republican Party website. To find your nearest caucus location visit the Colorado Republican Party website and enter in your registered voter address and zip code. Although, caucuses begin at 7 p.m., Party members are asked to arrive at 6:30 p.m. with their ID.
CBS4 reports that Tuesday evenings caucuses are open to the public, but that only registered Republicans are allowed to participate in actually choosing Republican candidates. In order to participate, Republicans must have been registered by Dec. 7 of 2011 and also lived in your precinct for 30 days.
For Colorado Republicans participating, your vote will help decide which of the 36 delegates and 33 alternates will be chosen and ultimately help influence which delegates will represent Colorado at the national convention, Fox31 reports.
The four leading GOP candidates have been spending a lot of time in Colorado over the last week. Texas Congressman Ron Paul made several stops in Colorado, speaking in Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum also made stops in Colorado, speaking at the Election Energy Summit at the Colorado School of Mines Monday as well as in Lone Tree. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also spoke at the School of Mines and at a rally at a Golden Hotel, according to The Denver Post. And former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, who won Colorado in 2008 and considered the favorite Republican again this year, spent some time in Grand Junction and Centennial over the weekend.
Romney is scheduled to hold a rally Tuesday morning at 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. at RV America in Loveland and another event at 8 p.m. at the Tivoli Student Union on Auraria campus. Visit his campaign site for more details on the event.
In Colorado Springs, Santorum will hold a campaign rally at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning at Giuseppe's Depot, see campaign site for details.
Tuesday night is the Republican caucus, the Democrats will not caucus until March 6.