United States presidential primary facts for kids

In the United States, a presidential primary is a series of elections and caucuses within a political party. They are held to choose the party's candidate for the presidential election. This process was never included in the United States Constitution; it was created over time by the political parties. Some states hold only primary elections, some hold only caucuses, and others use a combination of both.

These primaries and caucuses are staggered generally between either late-January or early-February, and mid-June before the presidential election in November. The primary elections are run by state and local governments.

Images for kids

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  2016 presidential primary election ballots in Massachusetts

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  A 2008 Washington state Democratic caucus held in the school lunchroom of Eckstein Middle School in Seattle. In some states like Washington, voters attend local meetings run by the parties instead of polling places to cast their selections.

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  A 2008 Democratic caucus meeting in Iowa City, Iowa. The Iowa caucuses are traditionally the first major electoral event of presidential primaries and caucuses.