With the 2012 election cycle heating up, caucus excitement is about to come to Edina.

Senate District 41 DFL, Republican, Green and Independence party caucuses are set to take place Feb. 7. Attendees will cast a presidential preference ballot, elect precinct officers, discuss and vote on proposed resolutions for their party platforms and select delegates for senate district conventions.

Attendees must be eligible to vote in time for the 2012 general election, live in the precinct represented at regional meetings and be in general agreement with the principles of the political party with which they are caucusing. Most of the caucuses allow people who will not be 18 by Nov. 6 to attend the event and observe.

Here are the locations of Edina's various caucuses:

• DFL Party Caucus: Valley View Middle School, 6750 Valley View Road
• Republican Party Caucus: South View Middle School, 4725 Southview Lane
• Green Party Caucus: Edina Community Center (Room 350), 5701 Normandale Blvd.
• Independence Party Caucus: Edina Community Center (Room 329), 5701 Normandale Blvd.

All four caucuses start at 7 p.m., with presidential preference voting beginning immediately. The Grassroots and Libertarian parties will not be caucusing in Minnesota this year.

Most caucus locations should be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Anyone needing interpretive services or caucus materials in alternate formats is encouraged to call, write or email the political party's state office in advance.

• Republican Party:(651) 222-0022 or (877) 467-6466, caucus@mngop.com, or www.mngop.com.
• DFL Party:(651) 293-1200 or (800) 999-7457, caucus@dfl.org, or www.dfl.org.
• Green Party:(651) 288-2820, caucus@mngreens.org, or www.mngreens.org.
• Independence Party:(651) 487-9700, karijohnson.robinsonip@gmail.com, or www.mnip.org.

Is a Caucus Different From a Primary?

A caucus helps a political party gain consensus as to how voters have aligned their political and candidate preferences.

But at a caucus, there’s more going on than just candidate selection. Participants sometimes select county committee chairs that go to a state—and sometimes national—convention.

What distinguishes a caucus from a primary is that at a primary, voters don’t have to be present at one particular location at a specific time. For a primary, voters just go to their polling place and cast a vote—the same as they would do at a general election.

For a caucus, you have to be physically present at your designated caucus site, register, show your party affiliation and then participate in the process. Attendees participate directly.

Additional caucus information—including a caucus finder—can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.