Presidential Nominations
Nominating the PresidentThe system of nominating the President is not mentioned in the Constitution, so political parties hold national conventions at which a group of delegates collectively decide upon which candidate they will run for the presidency. This process is undertaken at the state level, which means there are many differences from state to state. The two methods for choosing delegates to the national convention are the caucus and the primary.
CaucusesCaucuses were the original method for selecting candidates but since the primary was introduced in the early 1900's, caucuses have decreased dramatically. In states that hold caucuses, a political party announces the date, time, and location of the meeting. Generally any voter registered with the party may attend. At the caucus, delegates are chosen to represent the state's interests at the national party convention. Delegates are identified as favorable to a specific candidate or uncommitted. After discussion and debate an informal vote is taken to determine which delegates should be chosen.
PrimariesIn the early twentieth century there was a movement to give more power to citizens in the selection of candidates for the party's nomination. The primary election developed from this reform movement. In a primary election, registered voters can participate in choosing the candidate for the party's nomination by voting through a secret ballot.
There are two main types of primaries, closed or open. In a closed primary, a registered voter can vote only in the election for the party with which that voter is affiliated. In an open primary, a registered voter can vote in either primary regardless of party membership. The voter cannot, however, participate in more than one primary. There is also a less common third type of primary, called the blanket primary, which allows registered voters to participate in all primaries. Awarding the DelegatesThe Democratic Party always uses a proportional method for awarding delegates. In the proportional method, the percentage of delegates each candidate is awarded is representative of the number of primary votes for the candidate. The Republican Party, unlike the Democratic Party, allows each state to decide whether to use the winner-take-all method or the proportional method. In the winner-take-all method, the candidate whom the majority of caucus participants or voters support receives all the delegates for the state.
Who is Nominated for Presidency?There are no requirements for a person to run for president other than the three mentioned previously. (See "President's Job Description.") Most candidates, however, come to their nominations with substantial records in public office. Most candidates also have either a high experience in government or a high military rank. Most nominees have also come from large states.
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The Presidential Campaign Trail1.) Candidate announces plan to run for office.
This is when candidates start to broaden their visibility, campaign, and fund raise for the race of presidency. They begin to give speeches and debates and get their face out to the world. 2.) Candidate campaigns to win delegate support. At this time the candidate is competing with other candidates in the same party, hoping to get the party's nomination. The candidate works to win delegates and to persuade potential voters in general. 3.) Caucus and primary elections take place in the states. Primaries and caucuses help to determine the party's nominee. At this stage, voters choose the candidate who is going to run for their party and many candidates concede defeat. 4.) Nominee for president is announced at national party conventions. The main goal of a national party convention is to unify the party members behind the party's platform. Delegates gather to nominate candidates for president and vice-president. After the convention, the second stage of the presidential campaign begins: the election campaign. In this stage, presidential candidates from different parties compete against each other. 5.) Citizens cast their votes. Presidential elections are held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. This is when registered citizens cast their votes. Many Americans think that when they cast their ballot, they are voting for their chosen candidate. In actuality they are selecting groups of electors in the electoral college. 6.) Electoral College casts their votes. Every state has a number of electors equal to its number of congress members. All the electoral votes from a particular state go to the candidate who leads the popular vote in that state. So that means that a candidate can win millions of popular votes but no electoral votes. This “winner takes all” system can produce seemingly uneven results. For example, in the elections of 1876, 1888, and 2000, the candidate who had the greatest popular vote did not win the greatest electoral college vote, and so lost the presidency. At least 270 electoral votes are required to elect a president. If this majority is not reached, the House of Representatives will elect the president. |