ELECTION PROCESS Agenda: 1.) Quiz 2.) Final notes on winning an election Day #15

  Votes = points   How many points are needed to win a party’s presidential nomination? Republicans: Candidate needs 1,144 points out of 2,286 Democrats: Candidate needs 2,225 points out of 4,050 Points from each state’s primary depend on the size Extra points can be awarded through Super Delegates Primaries: Winning a Party Nomination

  Caucus ~ a private meeting of members of a political party to plan action or to select delegates for a nominating convention Note: There are other uses for term caucus when not in relation to an election process   National Convention ~ a meeting of all the state political party representatives to select the final candidate for the national election; publish party platform at this event (tally up all votes including Super Delegates) Note: Selection power is now limited due to primary elections The Election Process: Finalizing Party Decisions

Republican Convention History  The first Republican National Convention was held at Lafayette Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in February At this convention, the Republican Party was formally organized on a national basis.  The first Republican National Convention to nominate a presidential candidate convened in June 1856 at the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The convention nominated the first successful GOP presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois.

Republican Convention Process  Ten delegates at large from each of the fifty states.  3 Chair people of each state, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Three district delegates for each member of the United States House of Representatives from each state, sixteen from D.C., twenty from Puerto Rico, and six each from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Special rules that give extra delegates to states based on election history including getting a GOP governor elected.

Democratic Convention History  President Andrew Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet" privately carried out the plan for the first Democratic National Convention; the public call for the first national convention emanated from Jackson's supporters in New Hampshire in  The first national convention of the Democratic Party began in Baltimore on May 21, In that year the infamous 2/3 rule was created, requiring a 2/3 vote to nominate a candidate, in order to show the party's unanimous support of Martin Van Buren for vice president.

Democratic Convention History  Historically, the party's choice of the presidential nominee was usually not known until the last evening of the convention.  The choice was an often contentious debate that riled the passions of party leaders. Delegates were forced to vote for a nominee repeatedly until someone could capture a minimum number of delegates needed.

  Debates Candidates must be invited Different styles & topics give voters insight Ex. Town Hall style and issues like foreign policy The Election Process: General Election Campaigning