GET READY: THE PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES, JAN. 19

In just two months, Nevadans will have more influence than ever before on the selection of the Democratic and Republican nominees for the 2008 presidential election. The Nevada caucuses scheduled for Jan. 19 come before most other states will have voted. The eyes of the nation will be on Nevada for a reason other than O.J., slot machines or Siegfried & Roy -- although even the former Strip entertainers have gotten into the act, endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

You've heard about this and you want to participate, but you're just not sure how the whole thing works. Here's your guide to the process.

DEMOCRATS: ARRIVE BY 11:30 A.M.

1 CHECK-IN AND FORMALITIES: You don't have to be a registered Democrat or show ID. You sign in by giving your name and address. If you're not already a registered Democrat but are eligible to vote in that precinct, you can register as a Democrat on the spot. Some party business is conducted and the caucus chair is elected.

2 THE COUNT: Based on the number of registered Democrats who live in your area, your precinct gets a certain number of delegates. To earn a delegate, or be "viable," a candidate has to have the support of a certain proportion of caucus-goers. For example, let's say you're a five-delegate precinct, and 45 people showed up to your caucus site. The viability threshold is 15 percent of the those in attendance. In this case, a viable group consists of at least seven members. Candidates get delegates in proportion to their support, but there are no half-delegates, so a threshold must be reached.

THE CHOICE, PART I: Caucus-goers have up to 15 minutes to gather into groups of supporters, one for each candidate. If you showed up uncommitted to a candidate, get ready for a full-court press. In our example, let's say 16 people have gathered for Candidate A, 12 for Candidate B, five for Candidate C, nine for Candidate D, and two each for Candidates E and F.

4 THE RESHUFFLE: A round of arguing, deal making and arm-twisting begins. Groups that are viable stay in place, while members of nonviable groups have up to 15 minutes to pick new allegiances.

In our example, the C group needs two more people to be viable. C's supporters go to smaller groups to convince those people that their candidate doesn't have a chance and they should make C their second choice because of environmental issues. Meanwhile, B supporters are making a pitch that B is a better second choice because of the candidate's war position.

5 THE CHOICE, PART II: New groups form. (Think of it like a game of musical chairs with two 15-minute rounds.) That's the final grouping, and delegates are now apportioned. The formula is not as simple as seven people equal one delegate, but you don't have to do the math. This precinct's final tally: one delegate for A, two for B, one for C and one for D. Candidate A was strong at first, but B benefited from being a lot of people's second choice.

6 REPORTING: Each of the more than 1,700 caucuses reports to headquarters. When all the caucuses are over, the delegates are tallied, and the state Democratic Party announces the results. This will be the news out of the caucus: who won, and who did surprisingly well or surprisingly badly.

7 DELEGATE ELECTION: Each viable group elects delegates and alternates from within its ranks. 

8 NATIONAL CONVENTION: Fast-forward seven months to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. With help from Nevada, the party has chosen its nominee. Thirty-three Nevada national delegates and four alternates, chosen from among the delegates who were chosen in the January caucuses, are there to celebrate.

REPUBLICANS: ARRIVE BY 9 A.M.

1 CHECK-IN AND FORMALITIES: You must have been a registered Republican for at least 30 days, and you will be asked for ID when you enter. A caucus chair is elected to run the show.

2 DELEGATE CAMPAIGNING: Based on the number of registered Republicans who live in your area, your precinct gets a certain number of delegates. Those who want to be delegates give speeches asking for your vote. You're voting for fellow caucus-goers to be delegates, not for presidential candidates.

3 VOTE: Every caucus-goer gets a single vote, and the top vote-getters become delegates. Let's say 40 people show up at a precinct that gets four delegates. Ten people run for delegate positions. Candidate A gets 15 votes, Candidate B gets nine votes, Candidate C gets seven votes, Candidate D gets four votes, Candidate E gets two and two candidates get one vote each. A, B, C and D will be delegates.

4 VOTE AGAIN: Alternate delegates are elected using the same process. There are the same number of alternates as there are delegates.

5 CANDIDATE CAMPAIGNING: A representative of each presidential candidate gets two minutes to speak.

6 STRAW POLL: The caucus-goers vote directly for presidential candidates, via secret ballot. The vote totals are reported to headquarters, where they are combined with votes from all the other 1,700-plus precincts.

7 REPORTING: When all the caucuses are over, the votes are tallied, and the state Republican Party announces the straw poll results. This will be the news out of the caucus: who won, and who did surprisingly well or surprisingly badly.

8 NATIONAL CONVENTION: Fast-forward eight months to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. With help from Nevada, the party has chosen its nominee. Thirty-seven Nevada national delegates and 34 alternates, chosen from among delegates who were chosen in the January caucuses, are there to celebrate.