Laura Hanes/The Falcon Dr. Reed Davis, professor of political science, argues in favor of the Republican party.

Students cheered as junior Dustin Van Orman stood in Weter Lounge Monday night to give his Barack Obama support speech during an informational forum on the upcoming caucuses and primaries.

"I believe that Obama encompasses all the values of the American people," he said, after touching on the Illinois senator's approach to healthcare, foreign policy and his past record of public service.

Following Van Orman's speech, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee supporters spoke up. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain also received a few minutes of mention, while Clinton's plug quickly morphed into a concerned critique.

More than 90 students turned out for the forum paneled by four professors from the Political Science and Geography Departments. The forum was co-sponsored by the Moyer and Hill Hall Peer Advisor (PA) staff, which, according to Moyer PA Kevin Engle, approached the Political Science Department with the idea approximately three weeks ago.

The overall turnout for the forum was greater than expected.

"I was just tickled," Davis said, adding that it's important for SPU students to vote because the age demographic is often underrepresented in elections.

In addition to the voicing of candidate support, students heard more about the upcoming Washington state caucuses and primaries.

"We have a very confusing, complicated system in Washington state," professor of political science Reed Davis said, adding that Washington state is the only state to have both caucuses and primaries.

Laura Hanes/The Falcon Dustin Van Orman a Junior majoring in linguistics was given the opportunity to put in his plug for the candidate of his choice.

While caucuses (party gatherings where delegates are elected) have always existed in Washington state, primaries, which usually involve sending votes through the mail, were only introduced in 1988, Davis said.

"The idea of a primary is to a) increase participation and b) get the nomination out of the hand of the party regulars," Davis said, adding that the Republican Party also relies on primaries to establish a mailing list.

For Washington Democrats, attending the precinct caucus this Saturday is the only way of really impacting the system, as the Democratic Party mostly ignores primaries, Davis said.

"It's not worth the postage," Davis said, clarifying that, in spite of his Republican inclination, the statement was factual and not partisan.

Republicans, however, should participate both in the Saturday caucus and the Feb. 19 preliminaries, he said.

"It gets really gnarly," he said, adding that the party will chose half of their candidates on the basis of the caucus votes and the other half from the primaries.

"If you're a Republican, you have to do both," he said.

In order to participate in the caucuses and primaries, students must be registered as residents in a specific district and state. Even though the deadline for changing residency for the caucuses and primaries has passed, it is still possible to change residency for the general elections, Davis said.

Following Davis's explanation, associate professor of political science Caleb Henry argued the overall benefits of primaries over caucuses, saying that they provide a way to vote without having to give up an afternoon.

He also noted that, even though the Democrats disregard the primaries in Washington state, it might still be worth sending the votes because the of the unusually large Democratic primary turnout in Florida and Michigan.

"The Democratic convention has the potential to be a great, old-fashioned WWF Smackdown," Henry said, adding that his dream scenario would include a fistfight between Obama and Hillary delegates.