DENVER -- Colorado is one of the more than 20 states holding elections on Tuesday to choose a presidential candidate.

Feb. 5 is being called "Super Tuesday" because so many delegates are at stake.

Coloradans will not just walk up and vote on Tuesday. Instead, we'll be holding caucuses.

The caucus starts at 7 p.m. But you may want to arrive early to get checked in, as only registered voters are allowed and a voter list will be checked.

Also, only registered Republicans and registered Democrats can caucus. If you're registered as an independent, unaffilated or another party, you can attend the caucus, but you cannot vote.

Democratic caucus parents can bring their children to observe, but the children may be turned away if the caucus venue is too crowded.

How do you find your caucus location? It's a two-step process. First, you need to know your precinct number. To get that, go to the Secretary of State's Web page. (This tool will give the full, statewide 10-digit number for your precinct. The last three digits of the number are the "short" version of your precinct number within your specific county).

Then if you're a Democrat, click here for your caucus location.

If you're a Republican, click here to go to the Republican Party of Colorado's Web page for your precinct location. You'll also need to page down to find your county.

What Happens At A Caucus

Now, let's talk about what happens at a caucus.

Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, the first order of business when the caucus starts is to elect a chair and secretary for the meeting.

Then most groups will take what they call a "presidential preference poll."

How you vote depends on your party affiliation.

Republicans typically take a vote with a secret ballot or by a show of hands. Only one vote is taken.

Democrats vote via a show of hand. Daniel Willis of the Colorado Democratic Party told 7NEWS, "Democratic Party rules forbid use of secret ballots at all. The preference polls have to be by a show of hands."

Democrats often do a "straw poll" before the final vote. That means attendees separate into preference groups. For example, people for Hillary Clinton would go into one part of the room, people for Barack Obama go to another part of the room, people for Mike Gravel form a third group. There's a minimum vote needed. If a candidate doesn't get 15% of the attendees, those voters can actually make a second choice or stay with their first choice. Willis explained it "is an unofficial barometer to allow folks to change their votes if they want to make sure their candidate makes the threshold to get delegates." A vote is then taken.

After the vote, Republicans and Democrats send their precinct count to the county party office. Then it's sent to the state party office. Then it's released to the media.

One important note: The meeting doesn't end after the presidential preference poll. The same attendees also have to take care of important business, electing delegates to the county convention.

So don't expect to just walk in, vote and leave. It may take awhile, but also expect to see the political process at work. People will talk about issues and you may also meet some of the candidates interested in running for state office.

Questions? We answered them before the caucuses started Tuesday evening.

Callers to 7NEWS have asked, why a presidential caucus and not a presidential primary? The Secretary of State's office says we did have presidential primaries in the past, but stopped in 2003. That's because the state has to pay for primaries, but caucuses are run by the parties and do not cost the state any money.

We've also been asked "What about the primary in August?" Yes, there is a primary in August, but that is to choose candidates for state office, U.S. Senate & Congress. Richard Coolridge, the spokesperson for the Secretary of State's Office confirmed for 7NEWS Tuesday, "the August primary will not have presidential candidates on the ballot."

Jonte in Erie asked, "What happens if I registered as 'unaffiliated'?" Meaning, can I go to the caucuses tonight? Can I vote? Can I change my preference?" The answer: only registered Republicans & Democrats can vote at the caucus. Unaffiliated voters can ATTEND the caucuses, but they can not vote. You can change your preference, but you would've needed to do it 2 months ago to vote at the caucus.

Wendy wants to know "How do I find out if I am a registered Democrat?" Actually it's easy to find out what party you're registered with. You can go to the Secretary of State's Web site by clicking here. It told me not only my party affiliation, but what year I registered and when I chose an affiliation. For what it's worth, it also tells me my U.S. Congressional District, my state house district and my state senate district which makes it easier to find out who represents me in both the U.S. House and at the Colorado State Capitol.

Joan asked "I would like to know if I am able to go to a Democrat caucus and vote Democrat even though I am a registered Republican?" The answer is yes and no. Yes, you can go to the Democratic caucus, but you may not vote. You must be a registered member of the party caucus you attend to vote. Everyone is welcome at any caucus, you just can not vote unless you are a registered member of that party.

Another e-mail asks something similiar: "Can an unaffiliated spouse go to the caucus to watch?" Yes, your unaffiliated spouse is welcome at the caucus, but they will not be allowed to vote.

Lorrena asks "I was trying to search for the location that I am registered at, however, the search was unable to find me as a registered voter. I searched all the zip codes I have lived in during the past eight years. Any suggestions as to how I can find out if I can caucus today or should I simply go to the precinct where I voted last?" I called the Republican party office, (I tried the Democrats office too, but once I got a busy signal, then I got a recording) they said what matters is if your county clerk has you listed as a registered voter. Your local caucus meeting will have that list of registered voters. If you're on it, you can vote. If you're not on it, you can still attend the meeting, you just can't vote. The best advice would be to go to the last precinct location where you voted and hope you’re on the list.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Republicans have 46 delegates to the national convention who will be chosen at the state convention in May, including three distinguished delegates who do not have to go through the delegate selection process. The Democrats have 70 delegates, including 15 so-called "superdelegates" who include members of Congress, former governors and members of the Democratic National Committee, also chosen at the state convention in May.

WHAT IS THE AGENDA: For most caucuses, the agenda is the same: Elect a chair to run the meeting, elect someone to record the meeting, do the presidential preference poll, elect precinct committee people to represent the precinct on the party's county central committee, and elect delegates to the county assemblies, where they will select delegates to the state convention.

HOW THE PRESIDENTIAL STRAW POLL IS CONDUCTED: For Democrats, caucus attendees will divide into groups based on which candidate they support. If a particular candidate fails to gain 15 percent of the total precinct's support, attendees will be urged to make a second choice of one of the remaining candidates and elect delegates. Republicans will take a straw poll by secret written ballot and won't be able to switch.

WHAT HAPPENS THEN: Delegates go to county conventions to elect delegates to the state conventions, where they designate representatives to the national convention and approve all the party's statewide candidates, which includes a U.S. Senate race this year. At separate congressional assemblies, delegates select congressional candidates, candidates for the state Board of Education and the University of Colorado Board of Regents, and pick their own delegates to the national conventions.

To find what precinct you are in, visit the Colorado Secretary of State's Office online. To find Democratic caucus locations, visit coloradodems.org. To find Republican caucus locations, visit cologop.org.