A Kansan’s guide to presidential politics

If you’ve turned on a television lately, you’ve probably noticed that the presidential race is in full swing a little less than a year before the election.

Candidates are traversing the nation, delivering stump speeches and posing for selfies with voters as they vie for their parties’ nomination.

Here’s how presidential politics work in the Sunflower State and how you can be a part of it.

How to help choose a candidate

Kansas doesn’t have presidential primaries. Instead, it has caucuses.

Presidential primaries operate similar to a general election. Kansas hasn’t had one since 1992, largely because of the cost. It officially eliminated the primary this year.

Caucuses are run by political parties. Kansas Republicans and Democrats will hold caucuses on March 5, the Saturday after “Super Tuesday,” when 12 states hold primaries or caucuses. The Kansas caucus could give new life to an ailing campaign or be the final blow – especially in the Republican race, where more than a dozen candidates are vying for the nomination.

Votes will take place at party meetings statewide to determine the number of delegates bound to each candidate. Delegates will go to the parties’ national conventions, where the parties will officially choose their nominees.

The Democrats have 37 delegates up for grabs at the caucuses, while the Republicans have 40. It will take a total of 2,382 to win the Democratic nomination and 1,236 to win the Republican nomination.

To participate in the Republican caucus, a voter must present proof that he or she is a registered Republican, according to the rules posted on the party’s website.

To participate in the Democratic caucus, a voter must be a registered Democrat but can make that party affiliation on site, said Kerry Gooch, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party.

Caucus sites will be announced in the coming weeks.

So far, only former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has filed for the Democratic caucus, paying $2,500 to the party.

These Republicans have paid $15,000 to file for the caucus: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and real estate mogul Donald Trump.

How to be a party volunteer

The best way for Kansans to get involved in the election is to contact their county party chair, state party leaders say. Contact information for Democratic county chairs can be found here, and for Republicans, it can be found here.

“All those county caucuses need volunteers,” said Clay Barker, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party.

Gooch said the Democratic Party is in the process of selecting caucus locations and looking for volunteers.

Barker said campaigns won’t “really gear up in the state until two to three weeks before the caucus.” He recommended going to a candidate’s website and signing up as a volunteer. “That’ll get you on their system so that when they need people, they’ll blast it out to you.”

How to be a convention delegate

Any Kansas Republican can apply to become a national convention delegate or alternate by filling out the form on the party’s website. State and district party committees will choose delegates in the weeks following the caucuses to go to the national convention in Cleveland in July.

Any registered Democrat can become a convention delegate, Gooch said. Each congressional district will hold votes in April to determine who goes to the party’s national convention in Philadelphia in July.

How to volunteer for a candidate

We asked the campaigns of candidates leading in the polls how Kansans could get involved. Here are their responses. You can also go to candidates’ websites for general information.

Democrats

▪ Hillary Clinton: E-mail grassroots@hillaryclinton.com or text “VOLUNTEER” to 47246. The campaign also encourages people who want to get involved early to host debate watch parties or grassroots fundraisers.

▪ Martin O’Malley: Contact Mollie Byron at mbyron@martinomalley.com.

▪ Bernie Sanders: Sarah Parrish, a Merriam resident, said the campaign will be looking for volunteers as the Kansas caucuses approach. Contact her at starrywaters17@gmail.com or 719-963-4952.

Republicans

▪ Jeb Bush: Contact Kirby Howard at khoward@jeb2016.com.

▪ Ted Cruz: E-mail his state director, Sam Cooper, at scooper@tedcruz.org. Cooper said the Cruz campaign is recruiting county captains for its leadership team in Kansas and later will look for volunteers willing to knock on doors, make phone calls and distribute yard signs.

▪ Carly Fiorina: Contact T.J. Maloney at tj@carlyforamerica.com.

▪ Rand Paul: Contact campaign headquarters at 202-735-5323 or e-mail kansas@randpaul2016.com.

▪ Marco Rubio: E-mail Jahan Wilcox at jwilcox@marcorubio.com or Olivia Perez-Cubas at operezcubas@marcorubio.com.

▪ Donald Trump: E-mail Alan Cobb at acobb@donaldtrump.com about ways to help the Republican front-runner’s campaign.

The Carson campaign did not respond to requests for the best campaign contact for Kansans who want to volunteer.

How active are the campaigns in Kansas?

Most candidates are not actively campaigning in Kansas. But some have established a foothold.

Former Gov. John Carlin is among the prominent Democrats organizing support for Clinton ahead of the caucuses.

Support for Sanders is happening at a grassroots level with two groups forming in the Wichita area, Sedgwick County for Bernie and All Together for Bernie. Janine Wollenberg, a retired educator leading All Together for Bernie, said her group will host a watch party for the Democratic debate on Saturday night at the University Congregational Church in Wichita.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, endorsed Rubio in November. State Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce, R-Hutchinson, is also helping organize support efforts for Rubio. Gov. Sam Brownback’s son-in-law, Eric Teetsel, is the campaign’s faith outreach director.

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka, was among the first members of Congress to throw her support behind Fiorina in September.

Trump has tapped Alan Cobb, a former lobbyist for Koch Industries and state director for Americans for Prosperity, as consultant on his campaign. Cobb’s role isn’t limited to Kansas, but his presence assures that the real estate mogul will have some expertise on the Sunflower State when the caucus rolls around. Cobb participated in the successful campaign against a 2014 ballot initiative in Wichita that would have used a 1-cent sales tax to fund development and pay for improvements to streets, water and transit.

Retired neurosurgeon Carson visited the state twice in October for a private fundraiser and for book-signing events in Topeka and Overland Park. He took Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer with him in November when he visited a refugee camp in Jordan near the Syrian border.

Neither Brownback nor Colyer has officially endorsed a candidate.

How to register to vote

Kansas has some of the strictest voting laws in the country. If you want to cast a ballot in the general election, make sure you’re properly registered to vote ahead of the elections.

You can register to vote online or at your local Department of Motor Vehicles office. You will need to provide proof of citizenship in order to complete the registration process.

Documents that can be used as proof of citizenship include a birth certificate, a passport, a U.S. military service record that lists your place of birth, a certificate of citizenship issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or a naturalization document, and a Bureau of Indian Affairs card. If you were born in Kansas, you may also obtain a copy of your birth record from the Office of Vital Statistics, which can be contacted at Vital.Records@kdheks.gov or (785) 296-1400.

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 8:10 PM with the headline "A Kansan’s guide to presidential politics."