Understanding the Nominating Process in Government Elections

1. Chapter 7 section 1 “The Nominating Process” Page 184-192

2. A Critical First Step • Nomination of Candidates (all levels of government) • Voters usually choose between 2 candidates (one Republican, one Democrat) • General Election • 5 ways Nominations are made

3. Self-announcement • Simply declares he/she are running for office • Frequently used in small towns/rural areas • Failed to get party’s nomination or unhappy with candidate party chose • Write-in candidate

4. The caucus • Use to be a private meeting • Political parties opened up membership to more people • Today: a caucus is used to make local nomination in some places such as New England. • Open to all members of the party

5. The convention • Convention took place of the caucus method • 1831: Anti-Masons held the first national convention to nominate a presidential candidate and the National Republican (Whig) Party also held a convention • Beings at local level, county convention, then to state convention then to the national convention. • National Convention (President & Vice-President candidates are chosen)

6. Party bosses began unfairly influencing delegates • 1910s: direct primary replaced the convention • Democrats and Republicans hold large conventions every 4 years.

7. The Direct primary • An election within a political party to choose the party’s candidates for the next election. • Every state uses this method • Closed Primary: a party’s nominating election in which only party members can vote. • Open Primary: a party’s nominating election in which any qualified voter can vote. (only used in 26 states) • Blanket Primary: “Wide-open primary” every voter received the same ballot that listed every candidate (was used in 3 states) • Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional in 2000

8. The closed primary and the open primary • Closed primaries: • Positives: are more fair, and make candidates more responsive to voters, and require voters to give more though to their choices • Criticisms: violates a voter’s privacy because voters must make their party preference known in order to vote. Independents excluded from process • Open primaries: • Supporters: protect privacy, & Independent voters are included in open primaries and are part of nomination process

9. The runoff primary, • Used in 8 states • Candidates must win not just the most votes, but an absolute majority of the votes to win the primary. • Used when no candidate receives a clear majority. • The two top vote getters run against each other. Winner becomes party’s nominee

10. the partisan primary, the presidential primary • Nonpartisan election • used in most states for electing school and city officers • Candidates not identified by a party • Clear majority, run unopposed in general election. • Ex: Judges and state judges • Presidential primary • The way a party selects its delegates to the national convention

11. Evaluation of the primary • Most do not understand the facts • Dislike over having to declare party preference to vote in a primary • Disagree on excluding independent voters • Voters object to not being able to support candidates in more than one party • Idea that the primary is unimportant, • Lower voter turnout

12. petition • Often used a local level • Candidates nominated by gathering signatures from a certain number of qualified voters in their district. • Used for school, city offices, judges, and minor party and independent candidates • Different from state to state • Higher office more signatures needed