BRUNSWICK

Maine Democrats will host more than 500 municipal caucuses throughout the state on Sunday, a process that determines the party’s delegates going to the state convention in May.

Phil Bartlett, chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, said caucuses are an enormously important organization- al tool. Caucuses are used to delineate presidential preference by municipal and county party committees. They also provide a place for signature-gathering for the November ballot, and allow county and state candidates to visit with voters.

More than 3,591 delegates from across the country will attend the national Democratic convention in July, Bartlett said.

Once attendees have signed in at their local caucus, the caucus rules will be explained and some required party business will take place before choosing the presidential preference.

During a caucus, participants will physically group themselves according to their preferred candidate, with another group that will be formed for those remaining uncommitted. Based on the results of the presidential preferences, the allocated number of delegates for that caucus will be divided proportionally. At this point, if a participant’s preference did not get enough support to earn a delegate to the state convention, they have the opportunity to support another candidate.

The party has received more than 20,000 absentee ballots that will be counted Sunday.

Once the delegates have been allocated to each preference group, each group will then elect the appropriate number of delegates to the state convention.

Jeremy Kennedy, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said caucuses occur at various times during the day within a seven-hour window between 1-8 p.m. It is recommended new or unenrolled voters arrive at least 30 minutes in advance to register.

Kennedy said the earliest results can be released is 8 p.m. Sunday, but the party hopes to release final results between 9-10 p.m.

The party is holding caucuses at more than 500 municipal locations.

“I think this sets us apart from other states or other parties,” Kennedy said. “We hold one in every municipality in the state.”

The start of each caucus varies place to place but there will be a speaking program, Kennedy said. There will be an opportunity for representatives of each presidential campaign to stand up and speak a couple minutes about their candidate and each will get equal time.

The winner is the candidate who accrues the most delegates at the state Democratic convention in Portland on May 6-7.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

Dem caucus locations

• HERE IS A LIST of local caucus locations Sunday:

Alna, 1 p.m., Wiscasset Elementary School

Arrowsic, 5 p.m., Arrowsic Fire House

Bath, 3:30 p.m., Bath Middle School

Bowdoin, 1:15 p.m., Bowdoin Town Office

Bowdoinham, 1:30 p.m., Bowdoinham Town Hall

Brunswick, doors open 1 p.m., starts 2 p.m., Brunswick Junior High

Dresden, 2:30 p.m., Pownalborough Court House

Durham, 2 p.m., Durham Eureka Community Center

Freeport, doors open noon, starts 1 p.m., Freeport High School

Georgetown, 5:30 p.m., Georgetown School

Harpswell, doors open noon, begins 1 p.m., Harpswell Community School

Lisbon, 1 p.m., Lisbon Town Office

Phippsburg, 4 p.m., Phippsburg Elementary School

Pownal, doors open noon, begins 1 p.m., Mallett Hall

Richmond, 2 p.m., Marcia Buker School

Topsham, 1 p.m., Woodside Elementary School

West Bath, 4:30 p.m., West Bath Fire Station

Westport Island, 1 p.m., Wiscasset Elementary School

Wiscasset, 1 p.m., Wiscasset Elementary School

Woolwich, 3 p.m., Woolwich Central School