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Kids Can Help Count!

Brief History:
Some states have caucuses and some have primaries. Alaska has caucuses. Only two states have state conventions and do not have caucuses or primaries. Both the Democratic and the Republican parties gather voters in their parties at locations across the state to discuss and select who they want to choose as a candidate for President of the United States. That’s what happens on Super Tuesday: Alaska and 23 other states will hold caucuses or primaries.

Each caucus has a district convention and selects delegates to their state convention. The state conventions for each party will select their delegates to the national convention. Most delegates will go as “pledged” delegates. They pledged themselves to certain candidates at the caucus or district level…and were selected to attend the national convention by their state convention attendees. Some national convention delegates will be unpledged or superdelegates (Both are terms for uncommitted delegates).

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Currently 24 states are scheduled to hold caucuses or primary elections on Super Tuesday in 2008. Blue denotes Democratic-only caucuses (3), Red denotes Republican-only state conventions (2), and Purple represents states holding elections for both parties (19).

So why does Super Tuesday matter?

In order to win their party’s nomination and run on the party ticket, the candidates need to get more than half their party’s delegates’ votes. For a republican candidate that is 1,191 of 2,380 and for a democratic candidate that is 2,025 of the 4,049.

In theory, one can usually tell whom each state’s party nomination for president will be by counting the caucus votes. That, in turn, generally shows the way a certain number of each of the state’s delegates will vote (but not always). This year has a close race. If someone gets sick and the delegate numbers are close….well imagine that!

Would you like to help count the caucus and primary votes?

Here are some sites that may interest you. (A lot of the same information, but presented different ways):
• Click here to see a New York Times website that breaks down how many delegates may be pledged in each state for each party. (They call them “at stake.”) The New York Times’ chart reflects the delegates already committed as well.
• Click here to see the Washington Post’s website
• CNN has an interactive map as well. To see the Republican party results click on the tab that says “GOP” to see Democratic Party results please click “DEM.”
• You can also download and print a United States map and track your favorite candidate yourself!

For more information on what happens after November’s election, read about the Electoral College.

Please join us as a concerned homeschooler!