Caucus meetings were held around the state Tuesday night for Republicans and Democrats, where voters elected delegates and precinct officers, and talked about candidates and issues.

"I don't think I have much of a say in a national election but hopefully can make a difference locally," said Travis Parry, who was nominated to be a county delegate during a Republican caucus at Independence High School in Provo. "This is really grassroots, really student-government type of small town voting."

The delegates go to the parties' county convention and help choose candidates for the primary or general elections. It's there that a crushingly predominant party makes the real decisions. For example, if the convention chooses a candidate by more than 60 percent, that person skips the primary and goes straight to the general election. Because Utah County hasn't elected a non-Republican based here for more than a decade, a GOP candidate coming out of the convention all alone has a perfect record in the general election.

The Utah County Democratic Party's convention will be at Dixon Middle School on May 3, with the state convention May 9-10 at the Cal Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The Utah County Republican Party's convention will be at Orem High School on April 26, with the state convention on May 10 at Utah Valley State College.