- Party conventions confirm presidential nominees after primaries
- Kamala Harris to be confirmed as Democratic nominee
- Conventions are now ceremonial but crucial in rallying support
In the run-up to a presidential election, states around the United States have primaries and caucuses one by one, allowing voters to vote for their preferred major-party candidate.
However, these state-level votes lead to a single event: the party convention.
During these conventions, the Democratic and Republican parties generally affirm their respective presidential nominees depending on the results of the primaries and caucuses.
Last month, Donald Trump was officially named the Republican nominee at a convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now it’s the Democrats’ turn, with the party’s convention taking place next week in Chicago, Illinois.
The gathering finishes on August 22, with Kamala Harris taking the stage to rally Democrats for her presidential campaign.
So, how do these national conventions work?
Elaine Kamarck, a senior scholar in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, referred to the conventions as “the last word” in the presidential selection process.
Rather than the primary voters, the convention has the legal ability to choose the party’s nominee.
Each convention has several procedural votes, including those on event rules and the party’s platform, but the major event is unquestionably the presidential nomination.
The nomination is confirmed during a “roll call,” each state reveals from the convention floor how many delegates it will give to the nominees.
In general, delegates are assigned to vote for a candidate based on their state’s primary or caucus results. However, several delegates are “unpledged,” meaning they can vote whichever they want.
A contender wins the nomination if they receive the support of the majority of the delegates.
In some election years, like 2024, the procedure is primarily ceremonial because the presumptive nominees are known before the conventions even begin.
Harris was confirmed as the Democratic nominee after winning the early virtual roll call. A “ceremonial” roll call will still occur at the Chicago conference.
“Unlock your financial potential with free Webull shares in the UK.”
In other words, party conventions contain many procedures and ceremonies but are often the final step in the Republican and Democratic presidential nomination processes.
The conventions allow Republicans and Democrats to rally behind their respective nominees and generate enthusiasm ahead of an election.
Presidential hopefuls have traditionally disclosed their pick for vice president at party conventions, which adds to the anticipation.
However, party conventions have yet to play such an important role in presidential campaigns traditionally.
US presidential nominees were previously chosen by their respective parties behind closed doors.
That changed in the 1830s when Republicans and the Democrats held conventions to determine who would run for president.
Those early conventions were not like the ones we know today. Many states did not organise primaries or caucuses, so the nominees were picked by key members of each party rather than through popular voting.
