If January is the time we think about getting fit, then February—the official start of the U.S. presidential election season—should be a time to contemplate flexing our political muscles.
The Iowa caucuses get underway Monday, and voters in New Hampshire will hold the first primary election of the season Feb. 9. The Illinois primary is March 15.
We realize not everyone exercises their right to vote: During the 2012 presidential primary election, designed to whittle down the field of candidates for the November general election, just 18.5 percent of Chicago’s roughly 1.7 million eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot. Far more turned out for the general election: 60.5 percent.
Whether you’re a newbie prepping for your first-ever vote or a veteran at the ballot box, our simple guide will help you navigate anything from registering to vote to the best websites to study up on the candidates.
1. What’s the difference between a caucus and a primary?
Held in roughly a dozen states, caucuses can best be described as groups of neighbors—belonging to the same political party—gathering in churches and school classrooms to vote, publicly and often by simply raising their hands, on their favorite candidate.
In presidential primaries, voters head to the polls, grab a ballot for their political party of choice and select their favorite candidate in private.
Voting results from the caucuses and primaries play a key role in whittling down the field of candidates, which happens at the party conventions. More on that later.
2. Am I eligible to vote?
You are if you’re at least 17 by the March primary (18 by the November general election), a U.S. citizen and living in your polling precinct for at least 30 days before the election.
Feb. 16 is the deadline to register to vote by mail or online for the Illinois primary. After that, you can register to vote and cast your ballot during the same visit at select sites in Chicago until the March 15 primary. Check chicagoelections.com for more details.
You can register to vote on Election Day, but it can only be done at the polling place assigned to your home address. Make sure to bring two forms of identification, one of which shows your current address. Go here to find out where your polling place is located.
Pro-tip: Once you’re registered to vote for the primary elections, it should be hassle-free to vote in November’s general election.
3. How does a candidate win the presidency?
Of course political experience, name recognition, endorsements and a big campaign war chest of money to spend on ads help.
But there is a process: The primary elections and caucuses determine the selection of delegates to represent their state at the national party conventions, where they vote for a particular candidate. The candidate who wins a majority of delegates becomes the party’s official presidential nominee on the November general election ballot.
The presidential ticket that wins the most votes in the November election in each state generally gets all the electoral votes for the state, a number based on representation in Congress. The public doesn’t directly elect the president; intermediaries known as “electors” do. The candidate who wins at least 270 of the 538 votes in the Electoral College becomes the next president.
4. Help, I need help doing my pre-voting homework on the candidates.
On issues including whether the federal minimum wage should be increased, whether recreational marijuana should be legalized and whether the Black Lives Matter movement is good for America, ProCon.org shows not only where the candidates stand but also whether they’ve flip-flopped.
To keep track of who bowed out and who is still in it to win it, a debate schedule and key election dates, check out Ballotpedia.
Sources: League of Women Voters, ProCon.org, Chicago Board of Elections, VoteSmart.org, FactCheck.org
@lvivanco | lvivanco@redeyechicago.com
@riannecoale | rcoale@redeyechicago.com
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