JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri Republicans will probably still get to cast a ballot for a presidential nominee in February, but that vote won't actually count.

That's because the Missouri Republican Party voted Thursday to strip the state's presidential primary of its traditional purpose — picking who gets the Show-Me state's coveted presidential delegates. Instead, those delegates will be decided using a caucus system.

Unless the Legislature votes to change it, the Feb. 7 Republican primary will still take place. It just won't have any impact on the selection of a presidential nominee. For members of the GOP, that process will start officially more than a month later on March 17 at party-run county caucuses.

The process for Democrats, who also will vote Feb. 7, remains unchanged.

Under current state law, a primary must be held in February. But national party rules dictate that only Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada can hold presidential nominating contests before March 6, mostly because of tradition. States that violate that rule have been threatened with the loss of half of their delegates to the national convention.

A bill moving Missouri's primary to March has stalled in the state Senate, a victim of the stalemate over a massive economic development bill. An earlier attempt to move the primary was included in a bill that was vetoed this summer by Gov. Jay Nixon for reasons other than the election date.

Because states must report their planned primary dates to the national parties by Saturday, the Missouri Republican State Committee voted unanimously Thursday night to get around the problem by deciding that the presidential primary would have no direct impact on how the state's delegates are allocated to presidential candidates.

"The Missouri Republican Party is committed to ensuring that the governor's veto of the elections bill and the General Assembly's failure to move our presidential primary will not disrupt the national nominating process," said David Cole, the party's state chairman.

Missouri Democrats have said they will continue to wait for legislative action. Because President Barack Obama is not expected to face a primary challenge, the impact on Democrats is limited.

Missouri has used caucuses for presidential elections occasionally over the years, most recently in 1996. Lawmakers decided to switch the state to an early primary in order to have a bigger influence on the presidential election process, said Rita Days, a former Democratic state senator who currently serves as St. Louis County's elections director.

But state law mandates only that a primary be held and that the results are reported to the state parties. The process of selecting delegates for the national conventions — where a party's presidential nominee is officially chosen — is left to the state's political parties, said Laura Egerdal, communications director for the Missouri secretary of state's office.

Traditionally, the results of Missouri's presidential primary have dictated the allocation of delegates at later caucuses — which are always held by both parties during a presidential election year. But because state law doesn't mandate that parties adhere to the results of presidential primaries, Missouri Republicans saw the change as their only chance to get into compliance with the national party rules.

"Our priority was protecting our influence in the nominating process, and I think we achieved that tonight," said Missouri GOP spokesman Jonathon Prouty.

At the county caucuses — which are open to registered voters in that county — attendees will select delegates and alternates to congressional district and state conventions. Unlike a primary, where a vote can be quickly cast throughout the day as long as polls remain open, caucusgoers must show up at a specific time for meetings that could last for hours.

Caucusgoers will not, however, formally declare a preference for president, they will just be choosing delegates. But to win votes, it is likely "potential delegates at the county level will throw their support behind certain candidates," Prouty said.

On April 21, the delegates chosen at the county caucuses will gather in the state's eight congressional districts. At these gatherings, county delegates will vote for three delegates and alternates to the national convention. Those delegates will have to formally declare allegiance to a presidential candidate prior to voting.

Delegates will be bound to that candidate at the national convention unless they are released, for instance, if a candidate drops out of the race.

At the GOP's statewide convention June 2, more national delegates will be chosen. County delegates will vote on 26 at-large Missouri delegates and alternates to send to the national convention. Just like at the district gatherings, delegates will have to formally declare allegiance to a candidate prior to voting and will be bound to that candidate at the national convention.

When all is said and done, Missouri will send 52 delegates and 49 alternates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., to formally select a nominee for president.

Despite the Missouri GOP's efforts to abide by the national party rules, the presidential nominating calendar continues to be in flux. Florida is expected to announce today that it will hold its primary to Jan. 31, a week earlier than the Iowa caucuses. Officials in the four early-voting states have already vowed to move their presidential contests to maintain their status.

In 2008, the Iowa caucuses were held Jan. 3.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This version corrects an earlier version that incorrectly described who could vote in a Republican caucus. Anyone registered to vote in the county where the caucus is held may vote in that caucus.