By: Anna Aguillard, Senior Writer
South Carolina has one of the earliest primaries of all 50 states. This means that you South Carolina natives will need to decide which candidate you want to serve as President for the next four years by the end of February. The Republican primary takes place on Saturday, Feb. 20 – that’s 11 days from the publication date of this Old Gold and Black issue. The Democratic primary takes place just seven days later, Feb. 27.
The Iowa caucus – a caucus with a result that carries great weight because it sets the national precedent – already occurred on Feb. 1, and New Hampshire’s first-in-nation primary will occur today, Feb. 9. These primaries and caucuses will be held until June of 2016; North Carolina doesn’t hold its primary election until March 15.
Primaries and caucuses determine how many delegates will be sent to each party’s respective convention; if a state primary results indicate that a state supports a certain candidate, a number of delegates will be sent that reflects those results. The Republican Party will meet from July 18-21, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Democratic Party will meet from July 25-28 in Philadelphia. During these conventions, each party should determine their official nominee for the 2016 election.
This is how the election process normally goes – and how it will certainly go for the Democratic candidates, which have filtered down to two dominating candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
However, this year, the Republican Party has found itself in a very unique situation – despite predictions that the field would narrow, only a handful of Republican candidates have dropped out at the time this article was written – Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry, Scott Walker and George Pataki.
Still in the running for your vote are Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum. The high number of candidates has caused some political observers to begin discussing the potential of a “brokered convention,” which would occur if no single candidate has secured a majority of delegates during the primary. A brokered convention has not occurred since 1948, although one was predicted to occur in 1988. If a brokered convention does occur, delegates will have to re-pledge and trade votes until they finally can agree upon a candidate.
Lately, GOP frontrunners have been fluctuating with every new weekly poll – look at the quick and interchangeable rises of Bush, Carson, Cruz and Rubio. Donald Trump has maintained a steady popularity, but many wonder if he can maintain his lead when it comes time for citizens to actually vote.
And the Democratic election is neck-in-neck, too – recent polls have put Sanders ahead of Clinton in key states, like New Hampshire.
This is why it’s so important that students vote in the primaries – the primaries are what will determine who faces off in the eventual presidential race.
If you’re out-of-state (or county), absentee ballots are a thing. Go to your state election website and figure out how to mail in your vote. If you’re from Spartanburg, you’re in luck – county voting takes place right down North Church Street.
