The Presidential Primary system has come under increased scrutiny this year as both

parties have yet to determine a clear frontrunner for their respective nominations. As of this

publishing, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders, 1428 delegates (plus 516 super delegates) to

1153 delegates (plus 39 super delegates) on the Democratic side. On the Republican side,

Donald Trump is leading with 845 delegates, Cruz has 559 delegates, and Kasich has 148

delegates. Now what does all t
his mean? I am going to break down the system into what the

difference between a primary and a caucus is, what delegates, and super delegates are, why

they exist, what is a party convention, what is on the ballot, and finally, why the whole system is

broken, and very un-democratic.

• What is the difference between a Primary and a Caucus?

Simply put, a primary is a vote, and a caucus is a conversation and then a vote. Primaries

are simpler: you go to your respective polling place, and vote for the candidates that are running

for their party’s nominations. Primaries can be open or closed. An open primary is one where any

registered voter can vote on any party ballot, regardless of which party they are a registered

member of. They can only vote on one ballot, but a democrat can vote on the republican ballot,

vice versa, and an independent can vote on whichever ballot they choose. A close primary is one

where a registered democrat, for example, can only vote on the democratic ballot. Independents

are not allowed to vote in closed primaries. Delegates are determined according to the popular

vote of the whole state. Some states are Winner-take-all, and others are proportional. Most

proportional states have a minimum percentage threshold that must be reached to gain any

delegates.

Caucuses are more complex, and differ from state to state, but they have the same basic

frameworks: you go to your respective caucus site, and each person splits into groups

depending on their favored candidate. Each candidate must reach a certain amount of

supporters to be deemed “viable.” If a candidate is not “viable,” their supporters are up for

grabs, and supporters of the other candidates attempt to convince them to vote for their favored

candidate. Once all groups left are voting for “viable” candidates, delegates are determined

proportionally to number of supporters.

• What is a delegate, and what makes one super?

A delegate is a representative of their respective states party. These representatives come in

handy at each party’s National Convention. A “regular” delegate is known as a pledged delegate,

and who they vote for is determined by their states primary or caucus. Super delegates are only

used by the Democratic Party. A super delegate is free to support whoever they want, and is

either a member of the Democratic National Committee, a party leader, or a sitting governor or

member of congress. There is no set number of super delegates, as the number of potential

delegates is constantly changing, due to additions of leadership, disqualifications, and many

other reasons. Republicans have their own form of un-pledged delegates, but there system is

much simpler, and has less effect. Each state has three un-pledged delegates, the party state-
chairman and two Republican National Committee members.

• What is a Party Convention?

The Conventions are week-long pep-rally’s for each party. Many activists, congressmen,

and senators will have spoken to huge crowds by the end. The Convention is also where each

party chooses their nominee for the presidency. Usually, this is a ceremonial step, as each party

usually has a clear frontrunner, who has won a majority of the delegates. This year, to take the

Democratic Nomination outright, 2,382 delegates must be won. To take the Republican

Nomination outright, 1,237 delegates must be won. At each convention, delegates cast their

vote. If a majority is not had after one vote, there is another round. After the first ballot, some

pledged-delegates are released from who they must vote for, and can vote on whoever they

choose. Some states release their delegates after one vote, but other states don’t release them

until after a few. After the first vote, newly un-pledged delegates will be courted by each

campaign. The votes will continue until a majority is reached, and a nominee decided.

• What is on the ballot?

When going to vote in your states primary or caucus, you are not just voting for who you

want your party’s nominee for the presidency to be. Candidates for State Senator, District

Representative to Congress, Convention Delegates, County Board of Education, and Judge of

the Circuit Court are also on the ballot. When voting, it is important to remember that your

senator represents your whole state, your representative represents only your district (which is a

completely different area than your county or town), and member of the Board of Election is for

your county. The Judge of the Circuit Court is running to fill a vacancy in the court. They appear

on the ballot as a formality, and run unopposed.

• The whole system is broken?

Yes, the whole system is broken. The Maryland Primary is on April 26, one of the last 14

Primaries to be held. The field of candidates is much narrower now than it was when the race

started, 83% of the (prominent) Republicans originally running for President have dropped out. If

the Maryland Primary had happened first, and Governor Bobby Jindal (R) had won, would he

have gained momentum and continued to be in the race, instead of having dropped out five

months ago? After the first two contests, The Iowa Caucus and The New Hampshire Primary, five

republican candidates dropped out. Iowa has a population and median income consistent with

the rest of the country, but it is 91.3% White, ~5% of Hispanic or Latino origin, 2.9% Black, 1.7%

Asian, and 0.4% Native American, and 61% of the state’s population lives in an urban

community. The country is 63% White, 17% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Black , 4.8% Asian, and

1% Native American, and 81% of the country’s population lives in an urban community. Black

voters, Hispanic or Latino voters, and urban voters do not have as big a say as they do in

national politics. It is the same in New Hampshire: 93% white, and other ethnic groups do not

make up more than 5% of the population, respectively. New Hampshire has a much higher

average annual income than the rest of the country, and has a population similar to that of only

Montgomery County, MD. These two states do not reflect the demographics of the United

States, yet they have arguably the largest say in who can be president. There is also the un-
uniform, and sloppy, allocation of delegates. An argument can be made that all states should

reward proportionally, and one can be made that they should all be winner-take-all; everyone can

agree that it should be the same throughout the country. As of right now, If Hillary Clinton and

Bernie Sanders were dead even in pledged delegates (1,290), Clinton would still have an almost

insurmountable lead because of her Super delegates (516). Sanders would have to win, roughly,

10 more states than Clinton. That’s not very democratic. The amount of delegates each state has

isn’t proportional to population, as one might think, either. Extra delegates are given to states, by

both parties, to reward party loyalty: Texas has a strong record of voting Republican, and it has

almost 130 delegates in it’s GOP primary. This is a tool used to make sure each Party has the

right nominee according to its voter bases. This brings us to the issue of having both opened and

closed primaries. An open primary would be more democratic: more people have a say in who

they want to run for president in the general election. A closed primary is better for the Party to

get to know who they’re loyal constituents want to be the nominee. An argument can be made

for both sides; everyone can agree that it should be the same throughout the country.