How are the final Democratic and Republican candidates chosen?
Between January and September, states hold either primary elections or caucuses to determine which candidate goes forward for election in November. Most states hold direct first-round elections, or primaries. In most cases, voters can select primary candidates only from the political party they registered with – so Democrats choose from a list of Democratic candidates, Republicans from a Republican list, and so on. Unlike membership of a political party in Britain, joining a party in the US is a simple matter of ticking a box on a voter registration form. Every voter is free to change their affiliation as often as they like, or to refuse to disclose it at all. Non-affiliated voters cannot take part in these so-called closed primaries. However, a few states hold open primaries, where voters can choose any candidate, no matter what their party affiliation. Only a small minority of states hold caucuses, or meetings at which party members choose the state’s winning candidates. Caucuses req
