Explain to me how primary elections work?

[athena1277]

In all my civics/government classes, I have never learned how the primary system works. I am somewhat following the news on the current presidential campaigns. It doesn't seem fair that Iowa and other states get to basically choose who the candidate for a political party will be, while others have very little say until election day. How/why is it set up that way? I would really like to understand this better.

 

Let's please refrain from discussing actual candidates, I just want to learn about how the process works. I don't want to earn my first banned thread today. :tongue_smilie:

[Farrar]

I think the key thing to remember about primaries is that they are essentially for private organizations (as in, the political parties) to choose their candidates. Therefore, the parties can set the rules they wish to follow in making their choices. Back in the day, they used to just gather in "smoke filled rooms." Now, states have, to varying extents ensconced the primary system into law and the party system is very deep set into our political system and laws overall. However, there are still many aspects that are up to these individual organizations.

 

So, essentially, the Republican and Democratic parties have decided to honor the longstanding tradition of Iowa having the first caucus and NH having the first primary. If they decided to scrap it, they could. But, again, it's so deep set in tradition that they don't.

 

We're using to thinking of Iowa and NH as being the bellweathers, but in reality, there are sometimes big contests. Four years ago, the Obama - Clinton race went on well into the primary season so voters in many states got to have a say. And this time, there's a decent chance that the Republican choice will go well into the primary season as well.

[jewellsmommy]

I voted in my first primary during the last presidential election. I bring this up because I see you are in VA too. Dh and I voted as part of the republican primary. I voted for Huckabee :D. I am not sure how it works if you are an independent or a registered democrat, but we just showed up and voted just like normal.

[Farrar]

I voted in my first primary during the last presidential election. I bring this up because I see you are in VA too. Dh and I voted as part of the republican primary. I voted for Huckabee :D. I am not sure how it works if you are an independent or a registered democrat, but we just showed up and voted just like normal.

 

Virginia has open primaries - which I certainly appreciated when I lived there. But it's an example of how the state governments have gotten involved in the primary process. In VA, anyone can vote in any primary (but only in one of them) because that's the law. In other states, it's different and in some states, the Republican and Democratic primaries are held on different days.

[Tree Frog]

There were some interesting looking videos on Khan Academy about elections, although I don't know if there's one specific to the primaries.

[athena1277]

So how did Iowa and NH get to be the first states? What happened in history to bring that about?

[EmilyK]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-iowa-gets-to-go-first-and-other-facts-about-tonights-caucus/2011/08/25/gIQAJtygYP_blog.html

 

 

I also liked this video for rebutting the Iowa haters but it has off-color words if that bothers you:

 

[datgh]

NH will never be willing to give up its first in the nation primary. It brings to much money into the state because of all the advertising, hotel room rentals for the press, meals, etc. It is a state law that the primary has to be so much time before any other state. It always gets challenged every time the primary comes around. For a while it looked like it was going to be before Christmas. The candidates where wondering if anyone would have time pay attention to them if that happened. :lol:

 

This is the time every four years I wish some other state would be blessed with the opportunity to be first. The phone rings non stop from all the different candidates, there are no ads on TV but political ones and it can be tough to take when they get so negative. There are tons of political signs littering every corner. This time around I am trying to embrace the process. Because NH is a small state you really get a chance to get out and meet and greet the candidates. The kids had a civics lesson today going to see Newt Gingrich speak on education. I just couldn't let that opportunity go by.

[Mergath]

Khan Academy has videos on both the primary system:

 

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/primaries-and-caucuses?playlist=American+Civics

 

and the electoral college:

 

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/electoral-college?playlist=American+Civics

 

The electoral college isn't related to the primaries, but they're both election-related, so I thought I'd post both links.

[GoVanGogh]

In all my civics/government classes, I have never learned how the primary system works.

DH and I were both born and raised in Iowa - attended Iowa schools, including DH graduating from one of their major universities.

We, um, didn't even know what a caucus was until four years ago. :tongue_smilie: We neither one remember hearing that word in high school government/civics classes.