political convention
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What is a political convention in American politics?
In American politics, a political convention is a gathering of political party delegates at the local, state, or national level to select candidates for office and decide on party policy. Conventions also serve as rallies for general election campaigns.
Conventions were introduced in the U.S. in the 1830s to address the shortcomings of the caucus system. Over time, primary elections in most states have taken over the nomination of candidates for state and local elective offices, though conventions still play an important role. National party conventions occur every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president and to adopt a national platform.
Although presidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated by the entire convention, the rise of presidential primaries has increasingly limited conventions to ratifying candidates already chosen by voters. Todayās conventions are scripted campaign rallies designed to promote party unity and highlight campaign themes.
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Why are political conventions held in the United States?
Political conventions in the United States serve multiple purposes. Dating back to the 19th century, these conventions were introduced to address the shortcomings of the caucus system in candidate selection and policy decisions.
Today, national conventions occur every four years to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates and establish a national platform. While the nominees are selected by the entire convention, the rise of presidential primaries has shifted the convention's role to primarily ratifying the candidate chosen by voters. These conventions act as rallies that promote party unity and highlight campaign themes. During the convention, a keynote speaker presents the primary issues and aims to inspire enthusiasm and unity.
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Who attends political conventions and what do they do there?
Political conventions in the U.S. are meetings where delegates from a political party gather at the local, state, or national level to select candidates for office and decide party policy. These conventions also serve as rallies for the upcoming general election campaigns.
While presidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated at the convention, the growth of presidential primaries has increasingly limited the role of conventions to ratifying the candidate already selected by the voters. Most delegates elected in primaries are required to vote in a way that reflects the votersā choice, at least on the first ballot. The nominee is generally known months in advance, turning the convention into a carefully staged campaign rally.
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How do political conventions choose a party's presidential candidate?
Political conventions in the U.S. are meetings where delegates from a political party gather at the local, state, or national level to select candidates for office and decide on party policy. These conventions also serve as rallies for the upcoming general election campaigns.
The convention system began in the 1830s to make the selection of candidates more democratic. Over time, primary elections in the states have come to play a significant role. Now, most delegates are chosen through these primaries and are required to vote for the candidate they pledged to support, at least in the initial ballot. If a candidate secures enough delegate votes through the primaries, they can be confident of winning the nomination on the first ballot. The conventions also allow parties to draft their platforms and unify the party.
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What is the role of delegates at a political convention?
At a political convention, delegates from a political party meet at the local, state, or national level to select candidates for office and decide party policy. In the United States, national conventions occur every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president and to adopt a national platform.
Delegates are often required to vote in a way that reflects the votersā choice, at least on the first ballot. A candidate who has won enough delegate votes in the primaries can be certain of winning the nomination on the first ballot. The Democratic National Convention is typically attended by some 4,000 delegates, most of whom are selected during the preceding winter and spring.
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How have political conventions changed over time in the United States?
United States political conventions have changed significantly over time. In the 1830s, they emerged to replace the caucus system, aiming for more democracy. Initially, conventions were intended to be open, but party leaders often controlled them. By the 20th century, primary elections increased, giving voters more say, though party leaders still held influence.
Since 1968, presidential primaries have largely determined candidates, reducing conventions to ratifying choices. Television coverage once offered gavel-to-gavel broadcasts but has decreased as conventions' importance has waned. Despite criticisms of being undemocratic, conventions are defended for promoting party unity and centrist platforms.
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political convention, meeting of delegates of a political party at the local, state, provincial, or national level to select candidates for office and to decide party policy. As representative organs of political parties, party conventionsāor party conferences as they are commonly called in Europeāalso may elect executive committees of the parties and adopt rules governing the partyās organization. In practice they also act as rallies for the election campaigns that follow.
Before the development of conventions in the United States in the 1830s, American political parties selected candidates and policies in informal caucuses of the partiesā congressional delegations. Conventions were introduced to eliminate the abuses of the caucus system and were expected, through their open and public conduct of business, to be more democratic and less amenable to control by party bosses and machines. However, most of the real business of conventions was conducted in informal meetings of various delegates and leaders, and activity on the floor of the convention was usually merely a reflection of behind-the-scenes decisions and compromises. The corruption of the nomination process by party oligarchies prompted most states to adopt a system of primary elections for the nomination of candidates for state and local elective offices, though conventions continued to play an important role in endorsing party candidates.
The frequency with which party conventions are held varies between countries. In many European countries, for example, each major political party holds an annual national conference, during which party leaders address grass-roots members and debate party policy. In the United States, national party conventions are held every four years to nominate candidates for the presidency and vice presidency and to adopt a national platform. There also are local and state conventions, though the rules and function of these vary from state to state.
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At first, voting strength at both the Democratic and Republican party conventions in the United States was apportioned among the states according to their electoral college vote, with each state often allocated two convention votes per elector. For its 1916 convention, the Republican Party adopted rules curtailing the representation of congressional districts in which the Republican vote was light. Both parties later began giving ābonusā votes to states carried by the party in a previous election.
Although presidential and vice presidential candidates continue to be nominated by the whole convention, the growth of presidential primaries, especially after 1968, increasingly limited the role of conventions to ratifying the candidate already selected by the voters. Although many conventions have taken several ballots to declare a winnerāespecially because until 1936 the Democratic Party mandated that its nominee receive a two-thirds majorityānominations increasingly have been decided on the first ballot.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the great majority of Republican and Democratic party delegates were selected through primaries. Most of the delegates elected in primaries are required to vote in a way that reflects the votersā choice, at least on the first ballot. A candidate who has won enough delegate votes in the primaries can thus be certain of winning the nomination on the first ballot; this reduces the power of party leaders and favorite-son candidates to broker delegate votes to candidates in exchange for political favors. The bargaining strength of party leaders also has been diminished by the widespread use of public-opinion polls to measure the popularity of the candidates and to reveal their support by region and demographic group. If the primaries and the polls do not make the nomination a foregone conclusion, they generally eliminate all but the serious contenders before the convention.
With the advent of television, national conventions in the United States became spectacles that received a great deal of attention and nearly gavel-to-gavel coverage. In subsequent years, as the conventions declined in importance relative to the primary system, television coverage decreased dramatically.
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The national conventions in the United States have been criticized throughout their history as undemocratic spectacles. Critics have proposed replacing them with some form of national presidential primary. By contrast, defenders argue that, besides promoting party unity and enthusiasm, conventions allow compromise and tend to produce nominees and platforms that represent the political center rather than the extremes. Because elected officials must appeal to both party leaders and the public to function effectively, supporters of conventions claim that they are a good test of how well a candidate will perform in office.
Party conferences outside the United States also have received similar criticisms. For example, at British Labour Party conferences in the early 1980s, delegates often adopted policies far outside the political mainstream and at odds with much of the party leaders. These high-profile conferences sometimes are targeted for violence. For example, the Irish Republican Army attempted to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the Conservative Party conference in 1984.