The U. S. presidential primaries are competitions between members of the same party that province political parties hold in order to choose delegates to the national nominating conventions ( Stevenson. 1992 p. 40 ) .

The U. S. primaries have their beginnings in the party primaries of the late 19th century held on the local degree. They are a 20th century merchandise that was conceived in an effort to cut down the party bosses’ power and to give it to the electors ( Kendall ) . In 1904. Florida was the first American province that adopted the presidential primary elections and a figure of other provinces followed suit with the following decennary. This reform revitalized the function of the primary elections in the procedure of finding party campaigners and encouraged broader engagement of electors in the nomination procedure ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

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The series of primaries and caucuses is the initial measure in the election of the President of the United States of America. The primary elections are held by local and province authoritiess in order to contract the list of presidential campaigners that this province will back up at the national convention of major political parties. The campaigners who obtain the bulk of delegates at the Democratic and Republican conventions severally are officially nominated for President by these parties ( United States Presidential Primary ) .

Both the Republican and Democratic Parties adopted their ain attack to the assignment of delegates to the different provinces.

Democratic Party

The allotment of delegates practiced by Democrats is based on population and depends on Electoral College strength and on how the population voted for the Democratic campaigner for President in the old general election. Delegates are besides awarded to the undermentioned legal powers which do non take portion in the presidential election. viz. : the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico. Guam. Democrats Abroad. and American Samoa. Additionally. depute slots are assigned to party members of the U. S. House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate. former distinguished functionaries. and party leaders ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

Democrats have two basic groups of delegates: those who are bound to back up a peculiar campaigner ( pledged delegates ) . and those who are non ( unengaged delegates ) . Pledged delegates are divided into three classs: a ) district-level base delegates ; B ) at-large base delegates ; degree Celsius ) and pledged party and elected official delegates. Three quarters of delegates designated to the province are chosen at the territory degree. and the staying 25 % of delegates are assigned at-large. At-large and territory degree delegates are selected in the same mode but individually at different phases of the allotment procedure. A 15 % add-on of pledged party and elected official delegates in most instances are chosen in the same manner as at-large delegates ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

Unpledged delegates for the province are divided in the undermentioned classs: a ) former Democratic functionaries such as Presidents and Vice Presidents. Speakers of the House of Representatives. Majority leaders of the Senate. and all Chairs of the Democratic National Committee ( DNC ) ; B ) Democratic Governors ; degree Celsiuss ) Members of the DNC and the State chairs. frailty chairs. and officers of the DNC as good ; vitamin D ) and all party members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Their figure depends on the handiness of persons in each of these classs ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

Republican Party

In the allotment system practiced by Republicans there are three delegates assigned per congressional territory and six delegates at-large assigned for every province. There are besides bonus delegates whose figure depends on how the electors in a given province voted in the past elections for Republican presidential campaigner. Republican campaigners for the U. S. House of Representatives. the U. S. Senate. and Governor. The Republican National Committee besides assigns delegates for other legal powers ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

In instance a peculiar province voted for the Republican campaigner in the old election. it gets four and one-half at-large fillip delegates. If the province elected a Republican campaigner to the Governorship and the Senate in the old elections. it is allocated one fillip delegate. A province with Republican half the deputation to the House of Representatives is besides allocated one fillip delegate ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

If a peculiar province holds the primary or caucus after mid-March of the election twelvemonth. it is awarded fillip delegates by the national party. If provinces hold the primary or caucus between March 15 and April 14. they are awarded a 5 % addition to the deputation to the national convention. State parties are awarded a 7. 5 % addition or a 10 % addition. if the competitions are scheduled between April 15 and May 14 or May 15 and the 3rd Tuesday in June severally. National party regulations give province parties considerable flexibleness in the procedure of finding the agencies of choosing the at-large and territory delegates ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

Primaries and caucuses ( conventions )

State parties use and combine electoral devices such as the primary and the caucus ( convention ) systems. which are different in each province. in the procedure of taking and electing delegates to the national party conventions. Both the province parties and the province legislative assemblies determine when delegate choice events occur. Caucus events are determined by the state’s political parties. while primary day of the months are scheduled by the province legislative assemblies ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ; Vontz. & A ; Nixon ) .

Voting in presidential primaries in most provinces is restricted to party members merely. This method is calledclosed primaries. Inunfastened primaryprovinces electors are allowed to take either party’s ballot. In this instance. elector enrollment by party is non required.Crossover primaryprovinces allow the engagement of independent electors every bit good as electors from any political party ( US Government Guide: Presidential Primaries ) .

In a caucus. party leaders or members meet to find the composing of deputations that will go to the national nominating convention. The caucus ( convention ) procedure consists of several degrees and begins with assorted meetings of ordinary party members largely at the precinct degree.

Participants in a caucus publically declare their support for a peculiar presidential campaigner. The following measure is the election of representatives by caucus participants who will back up the latter’s presidential penchant in caucuses held at the county or congressional territory degrees. Finally. at the following phase. province delegates to the national convention are selected ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ; Q & A ; A: United states primaries and caucuses ) .

In provinces that do non supply for presidential primaries. the caucus method is used by both parties. Political parties may besides make up one’s mind to retreat from the primary method and alternatively utilize the caucus method to choose their delegates. In some primary provinces. caucuses are used as a constituent of the choice procedure. but in such instances the consequences of the primary election are more of import in the division of delegates ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

The chief difference between the Democratic and Republican parties in choosing delegates in primaries and caucuses is that the former requires delegate campaigners to declare their presidential or uncommitted penchant and the latter does non necessitate this declaration ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

State Democratic parties use one of the four methods to choose territory delegates: a ) caucus ( convention ) system ; B ) pre-primary caucus ; degree Celsiuss ) post-primary caucus ; vitamin D ) and bipartite primary. District delegates declare their presidential or uncommitted penchant in the primaries and caucuses. At-large delegates every bit good as pledged party and elected functionary delegates besides province a presidential or uncommitted penchant. They are selected by the province commission. the province convention to reflect caucus or primary consequences. or by a commission of elective territory delegates ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .

Republican territory delegates are elected in primaries or selected by campaigners for President harmonizing to the primary ballots. These delegates may be selected in congressional territory caucuses or combined with the at-large delegates. At-large delegates can be elected by primary electors. chosen by campaigners for President on the footing of the primary ballot. chosen at the province convention. or selected by the province commission ( Coleman. Cantor. & A ; Neale ) .


  1. Coleman. K. J. ; Cantor. J. E. ; & A ; Neale. T. H.Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer. Retrieved March 1. 2008 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. senate. gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30527. pdf
  2. Kendall. K. E.Communication Forms in Presidential Primaries 1912-2000: Knowing the Rules of the Game. Retrieved March 1. 2008 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //ksgwww. Harvard University. edu/~presspol/home. hypertext markup language
  3. Q & A ; A: United states primaries and caucuses. Retrieved March 1. 2008 from the World Wide Web:hypertext transfer protocol: //news. bbc. co. uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/7049207. short-term memory
  4. Stevenson. D. K. ( 1992 )American Life and Institutions. ( 2neodymiumed. ) . Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Schulbuchverlage GmbH u. Co. KG.
  5. United States Presidential Primary. Retrieved March 1. 2008 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/United_States_presidential_primary
  6. US Government Guide: Presidential Primaries. Retrieved March 1. 2008 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. replies. com/topic/united-states-presidential-primary
  7. Vontz. T. S. ; & A ; Nixon. W. A.Teaching about Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 1. 2008 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. ericdigests. org/2001-2/elections. hypertext markup language

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