Why do US parties hold presidential conventions? What to know, in 500 words
Al Jazeera
Conventions are where US political parties officially choose their presidential candidates. But how do they work?
One by one, states across the United States hold primaries and caucuses in the lead-up to a presidential election, allowing voters to weigh in on their favourite major-party candidates.
But those state-level votes ultimately culminate in a single event: the party convention.
It is at those conventions that the Democratic and Republican parties generally confirm their respective nominee for the presidency, based on the outcome of the primaries and caucuses.
Last month, Donald Trump was officially named the Republican nominee at a convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now, it is the Democrats’ turn, as the party gathers next week in Chicago, Illinois, to hold its convention.
The meeting concludes on August 22, with Kamala Harris set to take the stage to rally Democrats behind her White House campaign.
