1. Nominating Candidates
Chp. 16 Section 3
Pg. 464

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.