Primary election dates are set in the United States and territory as part of the major process of nominating the candidates for the presidential race. The system was created by the political parties and it has never been regulated by the United States Constitution. The primary election dates are staggered between January and June, with June 26, set for Utah. An alternative to primary elections that are run by state and local government, political parties also organize caucuses. These are just meeting of supporters and party members that often work as indirect elections for the designation of a candidate to run the presidential race.
Because of the staggered primary election dates, the system is considered controversial. The advantage of the system lies in the fact that a candidate concentrates his/her efforts and resources in one part of the country at a time. Campaigning every state simultaneously would be very difficult, nevertheless, the states that are campaigned in the latter half of the primary election dates, don't have much chance with candidates because the races are often won over by then. In order to claim a greater influence in the process, more states enter for early primary election dates.
The earlier one caucus or primary date moves in the plan, the more changes it causes in the other states. It is a cascading process that cannot be stopped. And we've seen these changes in the 2012 primary election dates, with the Florida primary scheduled on January 31, for both Republican and Democrats. This is much earlier than previous election cycles. Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary have gained lots of attention from the media this year. They were set earlier in January and since both states are small, campaigning takes place at a lower scale.
Every party is responsible for setting their own calendar of primary election dates and their rules. If the state rules do not stipulate who may participate in the primary and how delegates will be rewarded, party rules prevail. There are lots of voices critical of the early primary election dates for Iowa and New Hampshire because of the argument that neither of these two states is representative of the entire nation. These states have a predominant white population, and they are rural and wealthier than the national average. Big states like Montana or New Jersey hardly have something to say about the presidential candidates because their primary election dates are set in June.
Because of the staggered primary election dates, the system is considered controversial. The advantage of the system lies in the fact that a candidate concentrates his/her efforts and resources in one part of the country at a time. Campaigning every state simultaneously would be very difficult, nevertheless, the states that are campaigned in the latter half of the primary election dates, don't have much chance with candidates because the races are often won over by then. In order to claim a greater influence in the process, more states enter for early primary election dates.
The earlier one caucus or primary date moves in the plan, the more changes it causes in the other states. It is a cascading process that cannot be stopped. And we've seen these changes in the 2012 primary election dates, with the Florida primary scheduled on January 31, for both Republican and Democrats. This is much earlier than previous election cycles. Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary have gained lots of attention from the media this year. They were set earlier in January and since both states are small, campaigning takes place at a lower scale.
Every party is responsible for setting their own calendar of primary election dates and their rules. If the state rules do not stipulate who may participate in the primary and how delegates will be rewarded, party rules prevail. There are lots of voices critical of the early primary election dates for Iowa and New Hampshire because of the argument that neither of these two states is representative of the entire nation. These states have a predominant white population, and they are rural and wealthier than the national average. Big states like Montana or New Jersey hardly have something to say about the presidential candidates because their primary election dates are set in June.
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