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SUMMARY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
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Summary of presidential elections
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5. The Presidential election process, part 1: the nomination processThe nomination process in 1st half of presidential year, from January to June. 2 stages, 1st primaries and caucuses
then conventions in summer. Nothing about that in constitution (only the conditions of elections), purely party
affair, each party decides when they want to do this.
I. The primaries and caucuses
They have the same purpose//function = select the candidate who will go to the convention.
To select a candidate for presidential election in November, and to choose people who will represent party in
summer at the convention, their delegates.
Both system, primary or caucus, extremely turnout is the common point: about 10 to 50 percent of population
participate. Obviously a problem because people who participate are people with strong political opinion, not really
representative of population.
When primaries begin in January, candidates have already started to make themselves known in country. Usually
people who intend to run for president tend to makes it known previous year before. Very long process, more than
year and a half. Only about 50 % of voters participate at the primaries -> not the average voters -> political
activists.
Diff primary//caucus:
Difference of how much control the party wants to keep over the process, how much influence they want regular
people to have. Primary is an actual election, could be open or closed. Open primary: anyone in the state can vote,
closed primary means that if you have a closed rep primary, only rep can vote.
Primary = popular election more or less open -> you vote for a delegate.
caucus much more complex system, allow the party to have more control over nomination process. It’s a series of
meetings who makes decisions. Long process, little participation.
3 stages for caucuses:
1st series of meeting at precinct, then county and state levels. -> complicated process.
Choose candidate delegate (promise to vote for a candidate president)
each states decide if they want a primary and caucus or primary or whatever. Caucuses take hours.
Primaries and history:
Appears in early 20th century. 1912, president challenged by other candidates. One of challengers enjoyed great
population support but didn’t have the one of the party.
Also seen as a good thing. End of 19th century, lot of corruption -> fight by primaries. Primaries seen as a way to
give more power to people. Since then a number of state have now primaries election -> now it is good news in the
media.
Iowa -> state making their caucus the first since 1972 and NewHampshire -> state doing their primary the first
since 1920.
‘Bellwether states’
‘Frontloading’ = primaries tends to begin earlier and earlier.
Problem with long primary campaign that it makes public division that exist within the party.
Primaries are very expansive -> need of financial support.
Most significant date is ‘Super Tuesday’: on that day, primaries election in lot of states. (february or march)
‘Favourite son’ if you are from Texas, people will usually support you from Texas, so help you not to make too much
campaign in south.
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