Political parties in the United States are organized at the national, state, county, and precinct levels. They hold temporary conventions and primaries to select delegates and alternates to attend higher-level conventions. At state conventions, delegates select party leaders and draft platforms, and in presidential election years also select delegates for the national convention. The two major parties, Democrats and Republicans, have different processes for selecting national convention delegates, with Democrats using a hybrid primary-caucus system in Texas called the "Texas Two-Step."

1. Political Parties
GOVT 2306
Chapter 4

2. Party Structure
 Political Parties – a combination of people and interests
whose primary purpose is to gain control of government by
winning elections
 Organization
 The major two parties are organized at the: national, state,
county, and precinct levels
 Each majority party is loosely organized
 Gives the states and local party organizations opportunity to decide
their positions on party issues
 The Texas Election Code mandates that the two major parties are
similar in structure

3. Party Structure

4. Party Structure
 Temporary Party Organization
 Conventions and primaries conducted by the parties
 Precinct Conventions – open to members of the party who have
voted earlier in the day at the first primary or in early voting
 Occur every even-numbered year on the first Tuesday in March
 Usually are held 30 minutes to 2 hours after the polls close that evening
 Delegates and alternates are selected to attend the next higher party
convention with resolutions to consider for the party platform

5. Precinct Level

6. McLennan County Precinct Map

7. Party Structure
 Temporary Party Organization
 County and District Conventions
 Delegates and alternates selected at the precinct level meet at the
county or district convention
 (If there is more than one senatorial district in the county, there will be a
separate convention for each district)
 Counties such as Harris, Dallas, and Bexar are good examples
 State law requires that both conventions occur the 3rd Saturday after
the precinct conventions
 Typically, 11 days after the primary election
 At this convention, delegates and alternates are selected to attend the
state convention, taking the approved resolutions with them

8. County/District Level

10. Party Structure
 Temporary Party Organization
 State Conventions
 In June of even-numbered years, each Texas political party must hold a
biennial state convention
 At the convention, delegates: select the state party chair, vice chair, and
members of the state executive committee
 They also draft a party platform and recognize nominees selected in the primary
elections
 If it is a presidential year, state convention delegates also select delegates
and alternates to attend the national convention and potential members of
the Electoral College
 In the 2008 election, Texas was allowed 34 electoral votes (equal to the number of
members in U.S. Congress – 2 Senators and 32 Reps.)

11. State Level

12. Party Structure
 Temporary Party Organization
 Selection of National Convention Delegates
 Selection depends on their support for particular candidates for the
party’s presidential nomination
 Candidate selection is done either by primary or caucus
 In a primary, rank-and-file party members can vote directly for the presidential
candidates of their choice
 Primary voting is done at the precinct level
 In a caucus, party members choose national convention delegates who either
pledge to support a particular presidential candidate or remain uncommitted
 Caucus – selection of candidates by an informal committee of party leaders

13. Party Structure
 Temporary Party Organization
 Democratic Selection
 Texas Democrats combine the two delegate-selection plans in
a primary-caucus in a process known as the “Texas Two-Step”
 Presidential candidates are awarded delegates to local and state
conventions in proportion to the number of their supporters in
attendance
 National delegates include those selected by state senatorial district,
those selected on an at-large basis, and superdelegates
 Superdelegate - Unpledged party official or elected official who
serves as a delegate to a party’s national convention

14. Party Structure
 Temporary Party Organization
 Democratic Selection
 In 2008, Texas sent 192 pledged delegates and 34 unpledged
“superdelegates”
 98 for Obama, 94 for Clinton
 The “Texas Two-Step” has become rather controversial in recent years
 Essentially, Democrats have to “vote twice” for their candidates
 Once at the primary and once again at the caucus
 2008 - Roughly 2.9 million voted at the primary level; less than 1/3 (roughly
1 million) voted at the caucus

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