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Nominating Candidates

How has the process for selecting candidates for president changed?

Article two of the U.S. Constitution lists the legal requirements to run for president as well as the process to follow when electing the president. However, the Constitution says nothing about how to nominate a candidate to run for president.

Currently, candidates go through a series of state primary elections and caucuses where, based on the number of votes they receive from the electorate, they win a certain number of delegates. The delegates—people authorized to represent their state—will vote for their assigned candidate at their political party's convention.

Presidential primaries, as we experience them today, are a recent phenomenon in the country’s history. This resource examines consequential moments in time through primary sources to consider the question, “How has the process for selecting candidates for president changed?”

The Founding Era What did framers of the Constitution say about who should have a say in elections? In drafting the Constitution, framers debated what the role of voters should be in the new government. From the concept of voting in general to processes for nominating and electing a President, the framers actively questioned who should have a say in elections.
The Nineteenth Century Why did political party conventions replace Congressional nominations? The absence of guidance from the Constitution about how to nominate a candidate for the presidency, combined with a mistrust toward the voters to make such a decision, meant that a process for deciding candidates was needed.
The Early and Mid-20th Century What was the relationship between nominating conventions and primary elections? By early 20th century, nominating conventions were the norm. The public and the media begin to question and critique nominating conventions as the means to determine candidates.
The Modern Era, 1968 and Afterwards How did a crisis at a nominating convention change how candidates were selected? The trend of states holding some form of primary election continued. However, there remained the reality that party conventions still held more sway over who would win a party’s nomination.

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Presentation Presidential Elections and Voting in U.S. History