About Primary Elections Rules

Primary election rules have been established to ensure the fairest outcome during elections. Before rules were established, candidates were nominated within the party, giving the public very little input. Today, primary election rules dictate when elections are held, what kind of ballot is used, as well as the number of delegates allocated per district. Primary election rules are intended to give the citizenry a larger voice in the election process.

History

The first primary election was held in Oregon in 1910. One of the first rules established for this primary was that delegates must support the winner of the primary during the national party conventions. Two years after Oregon adopted a primary election and set forth rules, 12 other states participated in primary elections. By 1920, there were nearly two dozen states participating in primary elections, but very few required delegates to support the primary winner during the political parties' respective conventions.

Function

The rules that govern primary elections are intended to make sure external factors don't influence an election. For example, many primary elections are closed to individuals not belonging to a particular political party. This rule is to ensure that party members of an opposing political party don't get to choose the candidate against whom they must compete. Overall primary election rules are to ensure that the people are choosing the candidates, not party bosses, or wealthy and influential political actors. This is why many state primary election votes award a certain number of delegates to each candidate, rather than a specific number of votes.

Time Frame

One particular rule that governs primary elections at the state and federal level is the date. Rules are set up to govern when each state may hold its primary election. For example, New Hampshire law dictates that New Hampshire will hold the first primary election of the season to nominate the candidates for President. Because New Hampshire holds the coveted first primary of the election season, all other states must hold their primary elections after this date, or risk being stripped of delegates at the party nominating conventions.

Effects

States that choose to ignore primary election rules risk losing the influence they have at each of the party nominating conventions. Because the primary election calendar is set, states must have the permission of the political parties to hold an earlier primary election. When states change the primary election date, they may lose part or all of their delegates at the national convention, in effect giving them even less influence than they originally had. To combat this, many have been pushing for reforms so that larger states play a larger role in choosing candidates for the Presidential general election.

Expert Insight

Primary rules also give each party a specific number of pledged delegates and unpledged delegates. Rules indicate that pledged delegates must support the candidate they pledged to support at the national nominating convention. Pledged delegates are selected through the various state and local elections. Unpledged delegates, also called Superdelegates within the Democratic Party, are typically party leaders such as governors and senators, and may vote any way they wish at the national conventions. Unpledged delegates can ultimately decide an election since they are not required to vote with their state delegations.

Resources

• proposed reforms for primary elections