@Ceili,
Ceili, each state has some sort of mechanism for selecting delegates to the national convention of each party. The procedure is known variously either as a "caucus" or a "primary" election. In most states, however, only the actual delegates, selected by the party, who will be going to the convention participate in the caucuses. Iowa, New Hampshire, So. Carolina, Florida and some others hold a "primary" or a "caucus" in which the entire electorate of voters registered as members of that particular party (Dem. or Repub.) are eligible to vote. Many other states treat this as an administrative party matter. Here in Hawaii, for example, there's a Republican caucus coming up in a few weeks (don't know the exact date). I know one man who's been bragging that he's going to be attending. That's because he's an active member of the Republican party. The rank-and-file electorate will have to wait and see whom the "party bosses" have decided to back. And that, btw, is not a final tally either. If Hawaiian Republicans should decide to back Gingrich (unlikely), it won't really matter when they get to the national convention because that's where the actual candidate will be selected by the delegates to that convention. And there'll bbe a lot of bargaining and negotiating and vote-switching between primary and a final selection at the national convention.
That's a little over-simplified but, essentially, that's how it works.
