1. Selecting a President:
Primaries & Caucuses

2. Presidential Selection
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 College
Power to the People?

3. Stage 1: Caucuses Closed meeting of party members in each state
Barrack Obama campaigns in Iowa
Closed meeting of party members in each state
Delegates select the party’s choice for presidential candidate
Currently, six states, including Nevada in 2008, offer party caucuses selecting presidential nominees.

4. Stage 1: Caucuses Questions for Discussion:
Hilary Clinton (D) and Rudy Guilliani (R) campaigning in Iowa
Questions for Discussion:
The Iowa Caucus is on January 3, Why is it so important?
Brainstorm pros and cons to the caucus format.

5. Stage 1: Primaries
Presidential Primary Elections - special elections in which voters select candidates to be the party’s nominee for president in the general election.
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
Mitt Romney campaigning in New Hampshire

6. Closed Primary
Voters may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party

7. Open Primary
A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his or her own party affiliation.

8. Methods of Selecting Presidential Delegates by State

9. 2008 Open & Closed Primaries

10. Map of 2008 Primary & Caucus Dates