Primaries and Caucuses and Conventions …oh my…
Video and Reading Read through the handout Find details from the video and the reading to complete all aspects of the handout Between the video and the reading, you’ll have about 30 minutes Video: CGP Grey | Primary Elections Explained ZiIs ZiIs
Caucus Begin at local/county level Meet in person to debate and discuss candidates Voting usually happens by raising hands or separating into groups Choose delegates to represent nominee at state level Caucus at state level, choose delegates to represent nominee at national level
Primary Closed Only registered party members may vote Semi-Closed Registered party members and unaffiliated may vote Open Any registered voter may vote (can only vote in one Semi-Open Any registered voter may vote, but they must declare the party they are voting for before voting (to get the party specific ballot) Run-Off All candidates on one ballot – top two candidates advance regardless of party affiliation Mixed Systems States allow the parties to choose the system they will use
Delegates Each state gets a certain number that they will send to the DNC (Democratic National Convention) or the RNC (Republican National Convention)
Democrats Allocation of Delegates All states are required to proportionally allocate delegates with a standard qualifying threshold set at 15%.
DNC Delegates *as of 2/26/16 there are 4,765 expected delegates, with a candidate needing 2,383 to win Congressional District Delegates Allocated proportionally based on the results of the primary or caucus in a congressional district At-Large Delegates Allocated proportionally based on statewide results of the primary or caucus Pledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials (PLEO) Delegates Delegates because of the office they hold, they are allocated proportionally based on the statewide results Unpledged Delegates (“Superdelegates”) Automatic delegates to the convention and don’t have to pledge their support to a candidate They are members of the DNC, members of Congress, governors, distinguished party leaders (most have pledged support for Clinton)
DNC: Pledged vs. Unpledged
DNC: Delegate Counts Oregon votes May 17 and gets 74 delegates
DNC: Current Distribution of Delegates
Republican Allocation of Delegates * All States with votes between March 1 and March 14 must have proportional allocation. Proportional method* divide the state’s delegates based on results of their primary vote. Most proportional states have a threshold percentage that a candidate must reach to be eligible for delegates Proportional states may also award their delegates on a winner-take-all basis for candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote Winner-Take-All method awards all of the state’s delegates to the candidate that wins the highest percentage of the state’s votes Hybrid states award delegates based on a combination of methods
Republican Delegates *As of 2/26/16 there are 2,472 delegates expected, a candidate needs 1,237 to win Three types of delegates: At-Large Delegates (AL) Statewide delegates who are residents of that state and are selected at large. Each state receives 10 AL delegates plus additional AL delegates based on the state’s past Republican electoral successes. Congressional District (CD) Delegates must be residents of and selected by the congressional district they represent. Each state gets three CD delegates per district. RNC Members RNC Members are automatically national convention delegates and include the state’s national committeeman, national committeewoman, and state chair.
Republican Calendar and Votes *Oregon votes May 17 and gets 28 delegates
RNC Delegates
RNC: Current Distribution of Delegates
Super Tuesday March 1, 2016 always the first Tuesday of March 12 states and one territory Republicans: 595 delegates [about 25% of the total number] Democrats: 1,004 delegates [about 21% of the total number] plus about 130 Super Delegates Texas: 155 Republican delegates and 252 Democratic delegates are up for grabs
DNC 2016 July 25-July 28 Philadelphia
RNC 2016 July Cleveland