US elections 2008

Primaries and caucuses

by Barbara Giudice

Article published on the 2008-04-29 Latest update 2008-06-16 14:44 TU

Clinton/Obama debate - Philadelphia
(Photo: Reuters)

Every four years delegates to the Democratic and the Republican national conventions meet in the late summer to choose their party's presidential candidate for the election in November. Delegates are chosen in primaries and caucuses that usually run from January to June.

The political parties in each state determine the rules for the selection of delegates to the convention. 

Most states hold primaries, which are open to all registered voters, and organised by state law. Caucuses are organised according to party rules. 

There are two types of primaries - open and closed: 

* In a closed primary, only voters registered with a party can vote in that party's primary. 

* In an open primary system, people can vote in a primary of either of the parties, but they cannot vote in both. 

Caucuses are party meetings, organised by each party at the state level. The number of states using this system has diminished since the 1980s, as the primary system has gained in popularity. 

In this system party members congregate in a school gymnasium, a community centre, an apartment or other agreed meeting place.  Those who have decided on their candidate sit together.  

They attempt to convince the undecided voters and supporters of other candidates to vote for their candidate and to come and sit with them.  The number of votes for a candidate determines the number of delegates for that candidate who will go to the national convention.   

In the Republican Party delegates are determined largely on a winner-take-all basis. In the Democratic Party delegates are designated in a proportional system. The Democrats also have superdelegates, party officials and elected politicians, who can vote as they like in the convention.   

Largely as a result of this difference in voting rules, the Republicans concluded their primary season early.  By 4 March John McCain had garnered the 1,191 delegates necessary to clinch the nomination at his party's convention to be held in early September in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Democratic system gave both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama delegates proportional to their very close popular vote.  Neither candidate approached the end of the primary season with the requisite 2,218 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, although Obama was far ahead in the elected delegate count.  But as the primary season wound down, pledged superdelegates pushed Obama over the top. 

Other parties apart from the Democrats and the Republicans put up candidates in the elections. Those parties do not necessarily hold primaries. In the final vote electors can write in candidates, if they wish.