DURHAM, N.C. — The Durham Democratic Women are sponsoring a mock presidential caucus 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the main branch of the Durham County Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. The event is free and open to all members of the public interested in learning more about the 2008 Democratic presidential candidates.

Dubbed the “Raucous Caucus,” the event has been designed for both people who haven’t made up their minds about who to vote for yet and supporters who want to win others over to their candidate’s side. The caucus will follow Iowa’s town hall-style rules, with supporters of 2008 Democratic presidential candidates encouraged to convince undecided voters or supporters of rivals to back their candidates. In addition to one-on-one discussions, the Raucous Caucus will give each candidate’s group of supporters three minutes to present their case, and there will be information tables on all Democratic presidential candidates, with campaign representatives on hand to answer questions, distribute promotional materials and sign up volunteers. The Durham Democratic Women will also be registering new voters throughout the evening.

All Democratic presidential candidates still officially in the running as of Jan. 30 will be represented. At the end of the evening, after a final tally of supporters for each candidate has been taken, candidates will be assigned mock delegates to the Democratic National Convention based on the number of votes they receive at the caucus, expressed as a percentage of the total 77 delegates North Carolina is allowed at this year’s Democratic National Convention.