SEASIDE For going on 46 years, political groupies have gathered for a weekend to debate the latest issues, cast a straw vote for the next presidential candidate and predict future trends.

That annual weekend, known as the Dorchester Conference, is coming around again March 4 through 6 in the Seaside Civic & Convention Center.

More than 500 people Republicans, Democrats, Independents and those without political affiliation are expected to attend, said Becky Tymchuk, president of the 17-member volunteer board that organizes the conference.

We dont represent a state or national party. We are a political education organization, Tymchuk said. It is our job to entertain to entertain through the educational process. We put on the conference to entertain, educate and enlighten.

We must be doing our job, because 66 percent of the people who attend return to the conference, she added.

Called the Dorchester Conference, after the Dorchester House where the gatherings originated in Lincoln City, the conference was organized in 1965 by then-state Rep. Bob Packwood, a Republican from Portland, who served as U.S. Senator from 1969 to 1995. The Dorchester is Americas oldest annual political conference, according to the conference organizers.

While only those who pay the registration fee can participate in floor debates and vote on issues, the public can observe without charge. The cost for the full conference is $100 for adults and $55 for students who register before Feb. 20. After Feb. 20, the cost for adults is $115 and $60 for students.

 Individual dinner tickets for Saturday night also are available. More information is available at the conference website, atwww.dorchester.org

The conference opens at 4 p.m. Friday, March 4, and begins with an 8 p.m. ceremony, color guard and introduction of the Oregon Legislature leadership.

The activity heats up as debates and votes are conducted on four issues throughout Saturday and on Sunday. They include:

Ban on congressional earmarks

Education reform

Congressional priorities 

Plastic bag ban

The effect of the Tea Party on American Politics (to be debated Sunday morning).

The issues, developed by a conference committee, can include local, national and foreign topics, Tymchuk said.

 We try to make them not too wonkish, she said. The committee tries to keep them free from language that slants toward any particular position, and to ask questions that inspire a variety of viewpoints. While some issues tend to dominate national discussions every year, We dont want to debate the same issue, Tymchuk said.

With all of these guidelines, Its very tough to come up with issues, she added.

Although past conferences have hosted keynote speakers including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Nelson Rockefeller and Elizabeth Dole, the conference hasnt yet received confirmation from this years keynote speaker, Tymchuk said.

Those who are confirmed include U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and U.S. House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.. They will speak on Saturday morning following a debate on a proposed ban for congressional earmarks. 

 Rob Cornilles, the Republican candidate for Oregons 1st Congressional District who lost to Democratic incumbent Rep. David Wu last year, will deliver the Founders speech at dinner Saturday night.

Rounding out the weekend will be a presidential straw vote on Sunday morning. Those who register for the conference are sent a bi-partisan list of 25 potential presidential candidates and are asked to select their five favorites. Of those, the top 10 are selected for nomination from the floor on Sunday morning. Delegates can also nominate other candidates from the floor. After the nominations are closed, the delegates vote for the person they would most like to see run for U.S. President in 2012.

We are truly trying to get a sense of who the front runner is, Tymchuk said. We are trying to narrow the field. But were not speaking on behalf of the Republican Party.

The conference isnt meant to recruit candidates, she added. We dont stand for anything, we dont promote any candidates.

While candidates arent recruited at the Dorchester Conference, those who are interested in being candidates often list it as a must-do to talk to those who might be influential in local and national politics.

Youre going to rub elbows with them at the dinner table or in the hallway, Tymchuk said.

This is not a school about how to put together a campaign or how to write a campaign speech, she added. This is not a how-to conference. Its a grassroots gathering of folks who like to discuss the issues.