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While quadrennial presidential elections are known for receiving a wealth of media attention, the process for selecting those candidates is less-publicized and even unknown to some. In anticipation of a presidential election, state political parties hold primary elections to elect delegates. The delegates from each state then gather at a national convention to select their party’s nominee for president. In Missouri, the primary election used to be funded by the state and held just like any other election. However, after the passage of House Bill 1878 in 2022, political parties in Missouri are now left to their own devices to elect delegates.

Republicans across the state gathered in countywide meetings at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, for their caucuses. Counties containing multiple districts, such as St. Charles (which contains parts of the second and third districts), held separate meetings for each district. In St. Charles, the site of the caucuses for both districts was FHC. Each county was apportioned delegates based on the total number of Republican voters therein, and the delegates were divided up among candidates based on the number of that candidate’s supporters attending the caucus.

“A lot of folks have made comments about it,” County Councilman Joe Brazil. “They feel that this takes a little bit of the power awaynfrom the people when you have a caucus like this.”

In St. Charles County, the 703 of the 789 attendees caucused for former President Donald Trump, and majorities in both congressional districts caucused for Trump, activating a rule which allots all of a caucus’s delegates to a single candidate if his or her supporters comprise the majority. Across the state, every other caucus went for Trump, furthering Trump’s lead to a presumptive 244-24 delegates over the former Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley.

The Democratic Party of Missouri has adopted a slightly different plan for its presidential primary election. A statewide primary election will be held on March 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. Votes may be cast at any of the various voting sites, of which there will be at least one per county. The St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee selected Fort Zumwalt South High School as the county’s primary site. Anyone who was registered to vote by Feb. 21 will be eligible to vote (provided one was not registered as a Republican).