With caucuses happening soon and the 2016 presidential election just a few months away, politics have been on the minds of many. Amid frenzied presidential candidates vying for favor, Lawrence will hold two caucuses on Saturday, Mar. 5.

A caucus is a local gauge of a presidential candidate’s favor in a specific community. The caucuses show what kind of political views a community holds and what candidates are favored.

Two separate caucuses will be held for both the Republican and Democratic parties. The Republican caucus is being held at Southwest Middle School and the Democratic caucus at Central Middle School. The Democratic caucus will be from 1-3 pm while the Republican Caucus will be from 1-4 pm.

The caucus is almost like the normal voting process. Residents come in, vote for their favorite candidate in the party they identify with, and the candidate with the most votes wins.

However, unlike the normal process, residents discuss the candidates. Often, people with similar candidate interests will split off into groups to discuss possible benefits and flaws of the preferred candidate. One such meeting happened on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Lawrence Arts Center.

While it is difficult to gauge the types of people that attend other caucuses, Douglas County caucuses have always drawn a diverse crowd, said Douglas County Democrats Caucus Chair Caroline Grootes.

“From what I observe in Douglas County there is an energy out there for young, old, and yes, even Republicans who want to change party affiliation,” Grootes said.

While only those able to vote by Nov. 8 are allowed to vote in the caucus, younger community members are encouraged to learn more about the processes in order to one day become informed voters.

The Young Democrats Club, since its return this year, has been encouraging students to vote by holding meetings and discussions on current issues. This week on Wednesday and Thursday, they had a table at lunch with unbiased information on all presidential candidates and the caucus itself.

“I believe that it is important especially for the youth… to get involved in politics and stuff because it’s our future and we need something to look forward to,” freshman Derek White said.

The Young Democrats Club encourages all participants to eventually vote by not only talking about political views, but also discussing goals to encourage future participation in politics.

Many staff members also participate in political events and discussion. Government teacher Matthew Herbert is very politically active, for he is a member of the city commission. Herbert feels that staying politically involved, not just informed, is imperative for the integrity of a community.

“Simply being informed about issues does not do any good if you are unwilling to take action based upon your information,” Herbert said. “I encourage all members of society beyond simply voting.”

People are doing everything they can to educate students about politics. Staying politically informed is considered important to staying up to date in society today.

“To me the most exciting thing about voting is getting to facilitate change actively,” Herbert said. “We all complain about things, but elections give us the opportunity to complain in a quantifiable manner.”