Nominating Candidates Chp. 16 Section 3 Pg. 464

How to get a nomination Candidates are nominated in 4 ways: 1. caucus 2. nominating convention 3. primary election 4. petition

Caucuses Once private meetings of party leaders to choose candidates for office. Was criticized as being undemocratic so changed so that voters could attend. Sixteen states still use caucuses today.

Primary Elections Method most commonly used today. Party members or voters select people to run in the general election. Two types of primaries Open – all voters may participate Closed – only party members can vote Some states require a majority and some only require a plurality.

Petition A candidate files petition that a specified number of voters have signed in order to be placed on the ballot. Some states require all candidates to file petitions.

Nominating Conventions An official public meeting of a party to choose candidates for office. -now only on national level -state level chooses delegates to attend national convention

Presidential Nominations Task of the delegates at convention is to select a candidate for president. Winner take all primaries– the person getting the most votes gets all the delegates Proportional representation – delegates must represent candidates in proportion to the votes received.

Platforms Another task of the convention delegates is to choose a platform committee. Platform committee sets the platform that the candidates will support Platform is a statement of its principles, beliefs and positions on vital issues

Vice Presidential Candidate Picking a vice president normally happens on the last day of the convention Usually the Presidential candidate chooses a running mate and the convention nominates him. Balance the ticket – sometimes a candidate is chosen to even out the personal, political and geographic background of the Presidential candidate in order to attractive a wider number of voters.