Tuesday's presidential primaries have brought unprecedented political excitement to Texas as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama battle to win a state that could determine the Democratic nominee for president.

With that excitement has come confusion. That's because few people inside or outside the state really understand the precinct convention formula and what goes on at these formerly obscure events.

When polls close on Tuesday, each election precinct will hold a convention to choose delegates. Those delegates will be apportioned based on the support Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama draw at those conventions.

Later, those precinct delegates will attend senatorial district conventions on March 29 and, ultimately, the State Democratic Convention on June 6 and 7, when final delegates to the national convention will be formalized.

Texas Democrats will choose 42 of the state's 228 delegates through the precinct convention process.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie is preparing the party for an enormous influx of participants at precinct conventions, perhaps 150 percent more than in the past.

He's warned against breaking the rules, since both campaigns and the media will be watching.

It's not as if in the past, politicos wanted to skirt the system. In some cases, they had no choice.

Many precincts would only draw a handful of voters to the conventions, leaving the elected chairmen to take the paperwork home and call their buddies to round out the allotted delegates for that area.

That certainly won't be a problem this time, but Mr. Richie put out a warning just the same.

"We understand that in the past it may have been customary to take home the sign-in sheets and try to fill out your delegation if not enough people attended your precinct convention to meet your delegate allotment," Mr. Richie said in a memo to Democrats. "This is contrary to party rules, and therefore you should not do that."

There have already been myths circulating about the convention process, fueling the possibility for a raucous primary night across the state.

Here are a few tips for the uninitiated.

Show up on time: The conventions start at 7:15. You want to be there on time to avoid having the business of the evening taken care of before you enter the door.

If you are still in line voting in the primary, you will be allowed to participate in the caucus, even if you are late.

But if supporters of a particular candidate feel like they have a majority in the room, there is little motivation for them to wait for their rivals to get there. Also, early voters can participate.

Get the packet: In most cases, the election judge will have the packet with instructions, guidelines and other materials for the convention. If you gain possession of the packet, you can appoint yourself temporary chairman, get a friend to nominate you as permanent chairman and then quickly elect a secretary. If you do this, you control the flow and pace of the meeting. That could make a difference, especially if you're dealing with late arrivals and those not familiar with the process. There will be times when precincts will be merged under one election judge. That means the other packets will be up for grabs. Make sure you get one and don't allow a judge to stall you and then give the material to the rival camp.

Sign the list: No matter what happens at these conventions, your voice will be heard if you sign up and then give your preference for president. Delegates from each precinct are apportioned according to each candidate's percentage of support at the precinct conventions.

Stick with the process: All delegates are nonbinding up until the Texas Democratic Convention. So if you're a delegate, you'll have to follow the process through the senatorial district conventions and beyond. Be careful. At these affairs, candidates have walked in with a majority of delegates only to see their rivals outmaneuver them and leave with more.

gjeffers@dallasnews.com