Presidential Code in the United States
The United States presidential area code takes place each year of a presidential election (usually between January and June) to identify candidates for political parties . During this delay occurs elections ( Primary ) or for meetings ( caucus ) in each of the 50 states , the District of Washington, DC , and in the outer areas of the United States . The procedure is not regulated in the United States Constitution , but has been created over time by the political parties themselves and differs considerably in its design between the states; some hold primaries only, some just caucuses, and others combine both procedures.
Procedure
The two major political parties of the United States - the Democratic Party and the Republican Party - nominate their presidential candidates officially in their respective nominating convention ( National Convention ). Each state sends a certain number of delegates ( see below ), which in turn are largely determined on the basis of the results of the local primaries: Depending on how many votes the respective applicants have received, they will be given a corresponding number (or sometimes all) the delegates of the state assigned, which are at the party vote for them, and therefore as "pledged delegates" ( pledged delegates are called). These area codes themselves are organized differently depending on the state, but can basically be divided into caucus (electoral assembly) and primary (public area code) ( see below ).
In addition, there are (for the first time since 1982 with Democrats) so-called " superdelegates " ( superdelegates or unpledged delegates ). These are not derived from the primaries, but are mostly (current or former) incumbents and party officials. They are free to choose the candidate, which makes forecasts difficult. The assignment to a "camp" is then based on published statements of support ( endorsements ). In the case of the Democrats, however, the superdelegates can only exercise their right to vote if no candidate received the required majority in the first vote. The extent to which the obligated delegates are formally bound to actually cast their vote for “their” respective candidate (or can theoretically deviate from it) depends on the respective laws and the statutes of the party in the respective state.
If none of the candidates has a majority of the delegates behind them, a brokered convention with several ballots takes place. In the last elections, however, it was known long before the party congress who would be elected for the presidency. The last time the candidate was not known before the convention was in 1976, when Ronald Reagan was narrowly beaten by incumbent President Gerald Ford .
Types of area codes
In most states, the primaries are held as primaries. These are organized by the regional, state authorities and take place in public polling stations , while caucuses are private, self-organized events of the respective parties. Primaries therefore resemble a public election and caucuses more like regional party conventions.
Who is eligible to vote in the primaries, respectively, differs considerably from state to state: In many states find so-called closed primaries ( closed primaries ) instead, where only the officially registered with the party voters can participate (but party membership is not necessary). In some states there are semi-closed primaries in which voters who do not belong to any party can also choose to participate in the primary election of a particular party. In an open primary, however, every voter can vote in the area code of a party. In all of these systems, however, a voter can only participate in one area code; that is, if he has voted for a Republican candidate, he can no longer vote for a Democratic candidate, and vice versa. A few states practiced a blanket primary , in which candidates from different parties stood for election, until this was prohibited by a decision of the Supreme Court in 2000 .
Almost all states have binding primaries, the results of which oblige certain or all delegates to vote for a particular candidate at the nomination convention, during a certain number of ballots or until the candidate releases them. Some binding primaries are majority elections in which all state delegates must vote for the one elected candidate, others are proportional representation in which the delegates are divided according to the election result. In this process there are often percentage hurdles for the allocation of delegates.
A handful of states practice non-binding primary elections, in which representatives are sent to a party congress at the level of the respective state, which in turn elects the delegates for the nomination convention. A few states (like Iowa ) even have an additional intermediate stage where voters send delegates to a county convention , which in turn sends delegates to the state-level party convention.
The right to vote in a primary or caucus is determined by the rules of the respective party in the state, although state law may contain otherwise. The advantage of a caucus is that the respective party in the state is responsible for the organization and implementation instead of leaving this to the state or local administration. Their disadvantage is that most electoral laws usually do not apply to caucuses.
Rules for the selection of delegates
Both parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, usually change their rules for selecting delegates between presidential elections, including how many delegates are assigned to each state and territory.
According to the current rules of the Democratic Party, which were adopted in 2006, delegates are elected by proportional representation, with each candidate having to achieve at least 15% of the votes of this state. In addition, the Democratic Party can reject any candidate according to its regulations. A delegate selection plan is published in each state, which specifies the calculation of the number of delegates per constituency and how votes from local conventions affect state-level conventions and the nomination convention. Since the 2012 Democratic primary, the number of tied delegates for each state and Washington DC has been essentially based on two factors: the Democratic result in that state in the last three presidential elections and the number of votes that state has in the electoral college. the Electoral College . States with later area codes may receive additional bonus delegates.
The Republican Party's rules, which have been in force since 2008, allow states more freedom in how they appoint their delegates. Thereafter, a number of states introduced majority voting at various levels, while others chose proportional representation. Changes in 2012 led to the expansion of proportional representation. Each electoral district has three delegates; in the case of primary elections at state level, the state receives at least ten delegates. Additional bonus delegates depend on, among other things, whether the state has a Republican governor and Republican majorities in its legislative bodies and / or in the US Congress .
The rules of both parties contain provisions on the persons who can be appointed as unbound delegates. Because of possible deaths, resignations or the results of other elections in the meantime, the final number of these super-delegates is usually only determined in the week before the nomination party conference.
calendar
Presidential campaigns often begin a year before the New Hampshire primary, two years before the presidential election. The early start is based on tax regulations that allow larger donations and expenses for the election campaign only after a statement of candidacy has been submitted .
During the first six months of the year, primaries and caucuses are held independently in each state, Washington DC, and the suburbs. Each party determines its own calendar and rules and, in some cases, is responsible for holding the election. In order to save costs and encourage voter turnout, the primaries of the major parties are usually held on the same day and are often coordinated with the dates in other countries. The area code itself is carried out by local authorities in accordance with appropriate state regulations. In individual cases the state regulations contain rules on the payment of delegates and the eligibility to vote, otherwise the regulations of the respective party apply.
In recent years, individual states have held earlier and earlier primaries in order to increase their influence on the election results. In response, the headquarters of both parties have tried to introduce a time frame and set up rules according to which early primaries can lead to a reduction in the number of delegates. For 2020, the state of California, which had only had a vote in June 2016, decided to postpone its primary to March, which according to previous planning would bring the state to sixth position and thus significantly increase its influence on the selection process. As the most populous state with particularly expensive media markets, this decision has a potentially large impact on the candidate's strategy.
Iowa and New Hampshire
Traditionally, the Iowa Caucus , usually held in January of the election year, is the first binding event in which a candidate can obtain delegate votes for the nomination party convention. It is usually followed by the New Hampshire area codes, which have been the first area codes since 1920 due to New Hampshire tradition and laws. Under New Hampshire law, primary elections must be held “on the Tuesday at least seven days prior to the date any other state holds a similar election.” The Iowa caucuses are not deemed to be “one” in New Hampshire law comparable choice ”, since it is a matter of caucuses and not of primaries. Should any state move its area code too close to that of New Hampshire or even before it, the Secretary of State of New Hampshire is obliged to bring the area code forward.
In the last election, more than half of media coverage of the entire campaign was focused on the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire primary. After Iowa and New Hampshire, the top candidates strive to strengthen their position while the others battle for second places.
Because these states are small, the election campaign takes place on a comparatively personal level. As a result, even a little-known candidate with limited financial resources can establish close contacts with interested voters in a traditional election campaign and do better than expected. The Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries have produced a number of headline-grabbing, surprising results throughout history.
South carolina
For Republicans, the South Carolina area code acts as a "fire wall" to protect the top candidates and establishment favorites in their race for presidential nomination and to curb any upstart who have gotten too much speed in Iowa and New Hampshire. From 1980 to 2008, the Republican candidate, who won the South Carolina primary, also made it to the presidential nomination. In 2012, Newt Gingrich had only moderate success in the Republican primaries, but then won a clear victory over front runner Mitt Romney in South Carolina . However, after he lost significantly to Romney in Florida, his further election campaign ran in third place with Rick Santorum as the main challenger.
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday is the Tuesday in February or March when the largest number of states hold their primaries. Since it is held in numerous states in geographically and socially different regions of the country, it is the first test for the candidates for their chances of success at the national level. More delegate votes can be achieved on Super Tuesday than on any other day, which is why convincing results on this day have usually led the candidates to be nominated by their party.
|
|
|
|
Cards showing the dates of the 2016 primaries and caucuses for the Democrats (left) and Republicans (right). The timing of these elections is the subject of criticism of the process.
|
||
criticism
The system of primaries and caucuses has been criticized for the length of time it spans. Its advantage is the possibility that each candidate can concentrate their resources on one area at a time and not have to campaign in every state at the same time. The result need not be representative of the total number of voters, however: voters in Iowa , New Hampshire, and other smaller states, who traditionally hold their primaries and caucuses first, usually have significant influence, while the decision of voters in California and other large states States that are usually the last to hold their primaries in June have hardly any weight, because the nomination has usually already been determined by then. This is why some states are competing for the earliest possible pre-election dates.
literature
- Charles Brereton: First in the Nation: New Hampshire and the Premier Presidential Primary. Peter E. Randall Publishers, Portsmouth, NH 1987.
- Kathleen E. Kendall: Communication in the Presidential Primaries: Candidates and the Media, 1912-2000. 2000.
- Gregg Hugh: First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary. In: State of New Hampshire Manual for the General Court No. 55, Department of State, 1997.
- Niall A. Palmer: The New Hampshire Primary and the American Electoral Process. 1997.
- Larry J. Sabato, Ross MacDonald: Politics: America's Missing Constitutional Link. In: Virginia Quarterly Review , Summer 2006, pp. 149-161.
- Dante J. Scala: Stormy Weather: The New Hampshire Primary and Presidential Politics. 2003.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Primaries in the USA: dates, candidates, voting procedures
- ^ The New York Times: Result: Super Delegate of the Democrats
- ↑ n-tv: When the elite decide
- ^ Spiegel online: Super battle for super delegates
- ↑ https://www.thegreenpapers.com/P20/D The Green Papers - 2020 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions
- ^ California Democratic Party v. Jones, 530 US 567 (2000)
- ↑ Bruce E. Cain, Elisabeth R. Gerber: Voting at the political fault line: California's Experiment with the Blanket Primary (2002)
- ^ Primary / Caucus / Convention Glossary . In: The Green Papers . Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ Delegate Selection Rules
- ^ Democratic Detailed Delegate Allocation - 2012 . In: The Green Papers . Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ Republican Delegate Selection and Voter Eligibility
- ^ Republican Detailed Delegate Allocation - 2012 . In: The Green Papers . Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ Federal Election Commission, 2016 Presidential Form 2 Filers. Retrieved April 12, 2015
- ^ John Myers: California moves its presidential primary to March in push for electoral relevance. In: The Los Angeles Times , September 27, 2017 (English).
- ↑ "on the Tuesday at least seven days immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election."
- ^ New Hampshire Almanac> First-in-the-Nation
- ↑ In the American original of this article there are now a number of examples
- ↑ Official Results of February 19, 2000 South Carolina Republican Presidential Preference Primary
- ↑ Michael Scherer: Huckabee Looks to South Carolina , TIME. January 9, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ↑ Ken Rudin: South Carolina's Role as GOP Kingmaker . NPR. January 16, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ↑ Romney routs Gingrich in Florida . In: CBC News , February 1, 2012.