primary/caucuses
DESCRIPTION
Unit 3TRANSCRIPT
Selecting a President Selecting a President 2012:2012:
Primaries & Caucuses
Stage 1: Caucuses & Primaries The Battle for the Party Faithful
Stage 2: Nominating Conventions “Glorified Infomercials?”
Stage 3: General Election The Fight for the Center
Stage 4: Electoral CollegePower to the People?
Presidential SelectionPresidential Selection
Stage 1: CaucusesStage 1: Caucuses
Closed meeting of party members in each state Delegates select the party’s choice for presidential candidate Currently, six states offer party caucuses selecting
presidential nominees.
Stage 1: CaucusesStage 1: Caucuses
Rick Santorum and Ron Paul campaign for Iowa.
Questions for Discussion:
1. The Iowa Caucus is on January 3, 2012. Why is it so important?
2. Brainstorm pros and cons to the caucus format.
Stage 1: Primaries
Primary Season - January - June
Who Decides? - State party organizations for the most part decide the rules for the primaries in a particular state.
Types of Primaries: Closed Primaries Open Primaries
Presidential Primary Elections - special elections in which voters select candidates to be the party’s nominee for president in the general election.
Mitt Romney campaigning in New Hampshire
Closed Primary• Voters may vote in a party's primary only if
they are registered members of that party
Open Primary
• A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his or her own party affiliation.
Map of 2012 Primary & Caucus Dates
States with split colors have different systems for Democrats and Republicans. The color on the left represents the Democratic method, the color on the right represents the Republican method.
www.centerforpolitics.org
Hajo De Reijger- www.caglecartoons.com
What advantage does the democratic party have in the 2012 election process?