Elections ’08: A Roadmap

Caucuses and Primaries

Start Here!
State Primary and
Caucus Campaign State Caucus-
Registered voters for State Primary-
Candidates campaign in each party choose Registered voters for
individual states leading up to their candidate by each party vote in a
that state’s primary or caucus. standing in groups procedure similar to
that support that a general election.
candidate.
Caucuses and primaries can be either proportional
or winner-takes-all. In winner-takes-all primaries
and caucuses, the candidate that gets the largest
portion of votes gets the support of all of that
Announcement state’s delegates. In proportional caucuses and
Candidates announce that they primaries, each candidate gets the percentage of
intend to run for President. delegates equal to the percentage of votes received.

Election Day (Nov 4)

Registered voters around the National Conventions
country go to the polls to cast
Each of the major political parties convenes
their votes for President and
their delegates, superdelegates, and state and
Vice President. Certain states
national party officials. The role of a delegate is
allow voters to vote absentee
to vote at a political party's national
or early, so those ballots are
convention to select that party's nominee for
cast before Election Day.
the presidential race. In order to win a
General Election Campaign nomination within a political party, a candidate
The candidates for President and must win a majority of delegate votes.
Vice-President campaign and
participate in debates to describe At the Democratic National Convention,
their positions on key issues. Senators Obama and Biden were selected
by delegates to win the Democratic Party’s
nomination. At the Republican National
Convention, Senator McCain and Governor
Palin were selected by delegates to win the
Republican Party’s nomination.

Does My Vote Really Count?

Yes! By voting, you are participating
in the American democracy: making
Electoral College (Dec 15) your voice heard and bringing the
Members of the Electoral College in
issues that you care about to the
each state decide which candidate
to elect based on how the voters in forefront. By deciding who should
their state voted on Election Day. represent you and your community
Inauguration (Jan 20) in local, state and federal
The persons elected President government, your vote can help
and Vice President are sworn shape the policies and laws that
into office, and the new affect the daily lives of all Americans.
Administration officially begins.
Images courtesy of Rini Art®
Developed by South Asian Americans Leading Together A Roadmap is an educational factsheet that is
Sept 2008 www.saalt.org part of a series of voter engagement
documents developed by SAALT in 2008.
We encourage duplication and dissemination.