Four weeks from today, Missouri voters can have their say in helping select the national presidential candidates for the Nov. 8 general election.
Missouri's Presidential Preference Primary begins at 6 a.m. March 15.
There are three slates of candidates - Democrat, Republican and Libertarian.
But, as in all primaries, voters can take only one party's ballot.
Missouri voters' choices help determine how delegates vote at the parties' national conventions, where the final candidates are chosen.
So far, Missouri's mid-March primary hasn't attracted a bevy of candidates to the Show-Me State.
But spokesmen for both major parties aren't concerned.
"There are a number of states that are holding nominating contests prior to Missouri's primary, and the candidates are largely focused on those states at this point," Republican spokesman Jonathon Prouty told the News Tribune.
Roy Temple, the Democrats' state chairman, agreed.
"Right now the candidates appear to be spending the majority of their time on the primaries and caucuses that occur prior to ours," he said. "I suspect Missouri will soon be getting its fair share of attention."
And Prouty agreed with that.
"Missouri will likely play an important role in the nomination process," Prouty said. "Our primary will take place at a critical time in the race. We could be a very large delegate prize, and there is no clear favorite to win the state."
Prouty expects "to see an energetic campaign here leading up to March 15."
The candidates or their representatives had to file with the secretary of state's office in December for the March election. So some of the candidates whose names appear on the ballot no longer are actively running for president.
• In the order their names will appear on the ballot, the Democrat candidates are Hillary Clinton, Henry Hewes, Rocky De La Fuente, Bernie Sanders, Keith Judd, Willie L. Wilson, Martin J. O'Malley, John Wolfe and Jon Adams.
O'Malley has suspended his campaign.
• The Republicans on the ballot are, in order of appearance, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Donald J. Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, John R. Kasich, Rand Paul, Jim Lynch and Mike Huckabee.
Christie, Santorum, Fiorina, Paul and Huckabee all have stopped their campaigns for the GOP nomination.
• The five Libertarian Party candidates are Austin Petersen, Steven Elliott (Steve) Kerbel, Rhett Rosenquest Smith, Cecil Ince and Marc Allan Feldman.