Selecting Presidential Candidates

Caucuses

• Private meeting of party leaders in which individuals are nominated by party members to be selected as the Presidential Candidate

• To make it more democratic caucuses now start at the local level and work up to the state level

Direct Primary Elections• A state general election to

select a party candidate.– Closed Primary: Held for only

Party Members– Open Primary: Held for anyone

• A Candidate only needs a plurality of votes to win: more than any other candidate– Runoff elections decide a close

primary

Petition• A Petition is signed by the candidates

supporters. There is a required number of signatures needed to become a candidate.

• Often used by Third Party Candidates

National Conventions• Each party will hold a National

Convention a few months before the November General Election

• A Convention is a Meeting of Party Delegates that will select a Party Candidate and develop a Party Platform

Party Delegates

• A Delegate is a person that acts as a Representative

• A Party Delegate is sent to the Convention to represent each voting district or county.

Selection of Delegates

• Delegates are selected in the Caucuses and Primaries and they must vote in accordance with the district the Delegate Represents

• Delegates vote in two ways according to their State– Proportional Voting: Each Delegate votes

according to their district– Winner-takes-all Voting: Each Delegate votes

according to who won the State