After all the hype, media appearances and debates, the official launch to see who will succeed as the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees begins in earnest on February 1, when the first party supporters will cast their votes in the next race to the White House. To better follow along with what can be a confusing process, here are six things to know about the US primaries.
Difference between a primary and a caucus
The difference between a primary and a caucus is that the state itself conducts a primary, while the state party runs a caucus. A primary takes the form of a traditional election, with a broad group of voters casting secret ballots at polling stations that are open all day. This also means primaries are government-funded, making them the preferred choice for many states.
But caucuses — typically held in churches, school gymnasiums, libraries, community centres and, increasingly rare, at people’s homes — meet to openly discuss the candidates before voting. Caucuses also use the meetings to conduct other party business, such as selecting delegates.
Difference between an open and closed primary
Most primaries are closed, meaning registered Republicans must vote in the Republican primary and Democrats in the Democratic primaries.
But in some states, regardless of one’s political affiliation, a registered voter can choose to vote in either primary.
What is Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday is the day on which the largest number of states hold their primaries and caucuses. This year, Super Tuesday falls on March 1, with 14 states and America Samoa taking part.
The dynamics of the race change on Super Tuesday. Instead of looking at who won a state and who came in second or third, it will be the first time that a large number of delegates are selected to the convention.
How delegates are awarded
Delegates are usually active members of the party or party supporters who have been chosen to represent their state at the national convention. They then cast the votes that will determine the final presidential nominee. Since how these delegates vote is decided during the primaries and caucuses, much of the national convention is somewhat of a roll call, with all of the states pledging their support behind a candidate. The number of delegates each state gets is determined at the national party level. Both parties have a different formula for arriving at this number but it’s primarily based on population. California has more delegates than a state like Wyoming.
How delegates are allocated
Again, the Republicans and Democrats have different rules.
The Democratic National Committee requires proportional allocation from all its states: basically if a candidate gets 40 per cent of the vote in a state’s primary or caucus, then they get 40 per cent of that state’s delegates at the national convention. But a candidate must receive a 15-per-cent qualifying threshold to receive any delegates.
With the Republicans, it gets a little more complicated, as each state has different rules. The first four states to go — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — are not bound by rules of allocation and can choose any method of allocation.
Bounded, pledged and ‘superdelegates’
Most Republican delegates are bounded, meaning if they have been allocated to a particular candidate, they must support that candidate at the national convention. However, each state is awarded so-called “RNC delegates,” unbounded delegates who are party officials with automatic credentials to the convention. This presumably gives an establishment candidate a leg up, according to RealClearPolitics.
On the Democrat side, there are pledged and unpledged delegates. However, unlike the Republican process, the candidates have the final say over the delegates who are pledged to them.
Superdelegates, however, are unpledged delegates, meaning that they can throw their support behind whomever they choose.
