Boise (KTVB) - The Republican presidential field gathers for the second debate of the 2016 cycle on Wednesday.

Here’s a viewer’s guide for following the action:

When does it start?

The main debate featuring the 11 leading candidates begins at 8 p.m. ET. It will be preceded by a debate between the four Republican contenders who did not qualify for the prime-time gathering. The earlier debate will start at 6 p.m. ET. Both debates will be televised live on CNN and live-streamed for free on CNN’s website.

Where will it be held?

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Who will be in each debate?

The prime-time debate will feature Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, John Kasich, Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina.

Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham will participate in the undercard debate at 6 ET. Rick Perry would’ve been eligible for the earlier forum, too, but the former Texas governor ended his campaign on Friday.

Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore did not qualify for either debate.

How did CNN decide which candidates qualified?

Like Fox News did with the first GOP debate in Cleveland, CNN divided its debate into two sessions because of the size of the Republican field, with the participants in each chosen based on national polls.

Initially, the network was only going to include the top 10 candidates in polls from July 16 through Sept. 10, a timeframe that included a number of surveys taken before the first debate. This drew protests from Carly Fiorina, who was widely seen as the winner of the Aug. 6 undercard debate, which resulted in a polling surge for her in the weeks that followed.

Recently, CNN announced that it would also invite any candidate who registered in the top 10 in polls taken since Aug. 7, which vaulted Fiorina into the top-tier debate.

Alternatively, Gilmore, who did participate in the Aug. 6 “happy hour” debate, didn’t land an invite to the Reagan Library after failing to meet the minimum threshold of earning at least 1% support in any three of the 14 polls used for determining eligibility.

Who will moderate?

Jake Tapper, host of CNN’s State of the Union, will moderate. He’ll be joined by Dana Bash, also of CNN, and conservative radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt.

When is the first Democratic debate?

The much smaller Democratic field of White House hopefuls will gather on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas.

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