Civics: The study of the rights and duties of citizenship
Primary Elections
Purpose:
For member of political parties to nominate candidates for the general election.
To elect party officers.
Direct or Indirect Primaries
Direct primary:
Which is used in some form across the united states.
Acts as a preliminary election, in which voters decide the party’s candidate
Indirect primary:
Voters elect delegates which who then choose the party candidates at a nominating convention.
Both forms of partisan primaries serve the same purpose, selecting candidates that best represent the party by narrowing the field to a single person, which will then move on to the general election.
Primaries allow political parties to select and unite behind one candidate.
The importance of a primary election:
Helps prevent “clone” candidates, that split the constituency vote because of their similarities.
They allow the voters a chance to help choose the candidate to best represent their interests in the general election and in office if elected.
The importance in voting in the primary
This is when the vote counts the most, this is one of the most important phases of an election.
The voters decide which candidate represents them, every vote counts. This provides an avenue through which Americans cans take part in the process of choosing our own leaders.
The primaries provide a nationwide stage for the free and open exchange of all ideas and opinions. “The foundation of the American form of participatory democracy.”