Politics 101--Primaries

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

23 Apr 2008 03:57 AM

I have been covering the various candidates' running platforms, but yesterday was the Pennsylvania primary and so I thought it would be more appropriate today to focus on what the purpose of a primary election is, why yesterday's win was important, and what this means for the Democratic party. (McCain is said to have secured the Republican nomination on Feb. 28th.) I will return to discussing the Obama running platform tomorrow.

What Exactly Is a Primary?

A primary is essentially one means by which a party elects its candidate. Each state controls their own primaries and generally, when you register to vote, you must declare a party in order to vote in a primary. Essentially a primary is the party's opportunity to select their candidate. Generally speaking, you vote for your own party's candidates and not other party's candidates. So for example, if I was registered as a Republican--I can only vote amongst the Republican nominees and would not be allowed to vote for any Democratic nominees. This does not mean however, that I could only vote Republican in the general presidential election. The purpose of a primary is for the members of a particular party to elect their own candidate. (In other words--it would be unfair if I were registered Republican, to have a say in whether Hillary or Obama won the Democratic nomination.)

Of Primaries and Caucuses

Primaries work differently by state and in fact some states don't have primaries but rather caucuses. A caucus is essentially the same thing, but at a caucus people get together and discuss issues, talk about candidates, etc. As someone very aptly put it, a caucus is more like a town hall meeting and in the end a ballot count is taken. A primary is more like an election--no discussion.

So what does yesterday's big win in Pennsylvania mean? You'll have to check back later to find out!

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Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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