It’s primary season! Undoubtedly, you’ve heard about the upcoming presidential election on the news, from Donald Trump’s many inane comments to the neck and neck race between Bernie and Hillary, it’s hard to escape it. But what does it all mean? I’m here to explain all the facets of primary season and how you can cast your vote!
What is a primary election?
First, let’s start with the most basic question. What exactly is a primary? A primary is similar to any other election where you can go to your local polling place and cast your vote for your favorite candidate. The biggest difference is that unlike most other elections, primaries don’t happen in November, they happen between February 1st (when the big Iowa caucus is) and June 14th (when the last Democratic primary is in Washington, DC). For a full list of when each state votes in its primary, look here. The other important thing is that in primary elections, candidates of the same party are competing against each other to see who will run against the other party’s candidate in the general election in November. In this case, these primaries determine who gets to run for president this fall.
What about a caucus?
Caucuses are a bit more complicated, and luckily there are fewer of them. Unlike in a primary, caucuses don’t depend on our usual form of voting and are run by each party rather than the states, so Republican and Democrat caucuses are different. In a Republican caucus, everyone meets in a designated place (like a school gym), and representatives for each of the candidates can make a final pitch to encourage undecided citizens to cast their votes for their candidate. Then, everyone casts a ballot for their favorite candidate, sometimes on printed ballot paper, sometimes just by writing the name on a scrap of paper. The votes are tallied, and the delegates are awarded in accordance.
For Democrats, caucuses are a bit more complex. Their votes are not kept secret, as they literally vote with their feet: each voter must walk to the corner that represents their chosen candidate in order to “vote” for that person. Once the initial votes are tallied, any candidate who has not received 15% of the vote in that location is not considered “viable,” and those voters must then cast their votes for one of the other candidates. Once the final votes are counted, each district then determines how many delegates for each candidate are sent to a local county election, which will eventually determine how many state delegates each candidate gets (source).
Wait, what are delegates?
If you know anything about how the Electoral College works in general elections, delegates in primaries and caucuses are kind of similar to that. Delegates are people chosen to represent a state’s votes for a particular candidate. However, unlike in the Electoral College, some states have a winner-take-all system, in which whoever wins the primary or caucus gets all of the delegates from that state, but other states award delegates proportionally (so each candidate gets some delegates, depending on how much of the vote they won in that state). The number of delegates a state receives is determined by a few factors, including population, but some states are awarded extra delegates as a reward for voting for the party in a congressional or presidential election. The Democratic Party also awards superdelegates, which are elected officials and party officials who remain uncommitted until the national convention. At the national convention, delegates (and superdelegates in the Democrats’ case) cast their votes for their chosen candidate, and the candidate with the majority of the votes is declared the party’s nominee for president. The Democratic candidate needs 2,382 delegates to win the majority, and the Republican candidate needs 1,237 delegates. However, national conventions are much more symbolic now, as usually it’s pretty clear before the convention actually happens who has crossed the threshold with the majority of the delegates and will become the presidential nominee for that party (source).
Who’s running for president?
The Democrats are in a tight race between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. To read more about each of their positions, check out the websites for Hillary and Bernie. The Republicans have a lot more candidates running. After the New Hampshire primary, in the lead is businessman Donald Trump. Close behind him are the Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa Caucus, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. There is also a whole slew of other candidates vying for a chance to earn the Republican nomination: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and our very own governor from Ohio, John Kasich.
So, how do I vote?
Each state votes at different times, and as college students, if you’re not from Ohio, you can either choose to vote in your home state or in Ohio (you just can’t vote in both). The Ohio primary is March 15th, during our Spring Break, but you can still vote in it. Just make sure you register to vote (here) and request an absentee ballot (here) ASAP. Kenyon Democrats have been tabling in Peirce with forms for you to fill out, and if you fill out an absentee ballot, you can give the sealed envelope to them before Spring Break, and they’ll mail it in for you! If you’re voting in your home state, its super easy to Google the necessary forms to fill out. The only thing to keep in mind is that some state primaries are closed, meaning that you can only vote in them if you’re registered with that party (Check here to see what your state does). But you should be able to register with a party when you register to vote, so that shouldn’t stop you from making your voice count.
Hopefully, this helps clear up some confusion surrounding primary season. Happy voting, Kenyon!
Image Credit: Daily Roabox, The Odyssey, Slate