U.S. Government and Civics / Unit 9: Political Parties, Elections and Interest Groups
9.2 Nominations and Primaries
Notes
Before the general election, parties choose their candidates.
- Primary election: voters choose a party's nominee. In a closed primary, only registered party members vote; in an open primary, any registered voter may choose which party's primary to vote in.
- Caucus: party members meet in person to discuss and choose candidates or delegates.
- For president, primaries and caucuses award delegates, who vote at the party's national convention to make the nomination official.
- The convention also approves the platform and the vice presidential nominee.
- Front-loading: states moving their primaries earlier to gain influence.
- The general election is when voters choose among the parties' nominees. Federal general elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Practice
A voter registered as an independent is turned away from voting in a party's primary. The state most likely uses a:
Closed primaries are limited to registered party members.
At a presidential nominating convention, delegates:
Conventions finalize the nomination based on delegates won in primaries and caucuses.
In which method do party members gather in meetings to discuss and select candidates?
Caucuses are meetings rather than private ballots.
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