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Every four years, when presidential candidates stop by mom-and-pop restaurants, shoot the breeze at barber shops and deliver stump speeches at the local college, they're almost never doing it in North Carolina.

For that matter, aside from Iowa, New Hampshire and a few others, they're not doing it in most states.

Even though Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee made stops in Greensboro this week, that's a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence here. The nominations are likely to be decided long before North Carolina votes in May.

That grievance is driving the National Presidential Caucus, a fledgling effort aimed at showing that a simultaneous nationwide system of picking presidential nominees can work.

Today, people tired of the current system will gather across the country — Winston-Salem will host North Carolina's event — to talk about issues and vote.

As the evening unfolds, the results of dozens of caucuses across the country will be posted on the group's Web site, allowing for quick results.

The results aren't binding on anyone, making the effort more like a survey than a real election, but the idea is to show a different way forward.

"The country needs to find a way to involve more individuals," said Vernon Robinson, a former congressional candidate organizing the local effort. "This is demonstrating that the national caucus is a viable alternative to the .... process that emphasizes a few small states."

Robinson is a Republican, but the caucus is a nonpartisan effort.
Democrats are involved nationally and locally.

Organizers say it's significant that the event is a caucus, not a primary.
In a caucus, participants don't just show up, vote and leave. It's a process that usually takes an evening and can involve significant discussion.

Fostering thought and discussion about the candidates and issues is part of the idea, said Myles Weissleder, a spokesman for the national group.

The Iowa caucus, traditionally the first round of the process, is a good example of how it works, he said.

"It's really inspiring to see ... people leaving their warm cozy home to go to the church basement or the library to discuss issues," Weissleder said. "I think it's democracy at its greatest."

Greensboro resident Anna Brown Lane, who plans to attend, likes the participatory element of the caucus and the chance to talk to other voters.

"It appeals to me that there's an opportunity for someone to do it," said Lane, who supports Republican Ron Paul.

One criticism of a national process is that it would eliminate the extensive face-to-face campaigning that at least some voters witness and would favor candidates with lots of money and media star power.

Advocates, however, say that the Internet — where voters seek information and candidates speak to voters outside traditional media channels — has helped level the playing field.

Organizers aren't predicting a quick victory over the current system. They're hoping, though, that enough people will pick up on the idea to help it gain momentum.

"It's a long, slow process of course," Weissleder said. "Right now, a lot of people say the system's broken."

Weissleder said organizers made a conscious decision to go about the effort in a grass-roots way, using the Internet to help recruit and organize participants.