SEC Primary: Everything you need to know

Come March 1, the eyes of the political world will turn South.

That's the day seven southern states, including Georgia, will hold Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, one of the largest combination of states and delegates of the 2016 election.

The brainchild of Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the so-called SEC Primary will include Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and Oklahoma. The name comes from the Southeastern Conference, the powerhouse college athletic league.

But southern voters won’t be alone in going to the polls that day. Vermont and Massachusetts will also hold primaries on March 1, while Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota and Wyoming will hold caucuses.

Only four states will have voted before March 1: the traditional early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Georgia, further boosting the SEC Primary's importance.

Already voters across the region have seen an uptick in candidate visits and efforts to woe support, a trend that will likely only increase as the date nears.