This week, the Republicans hold theirnational convention, followed by theDemocratic National Conventionnext week.
After months of debates and grandstanding, both parties presidential candidates will be set in stone.
Thats just the beginning of the fun, though.
Heres what goes down at these conventions.
Of course, nominating a candidate thats already decided doesnt account for a four day convention.
The parties will also hold meetings and discussions to hash out their partys platform and energize their voting base.
you’ve got the option to find the currentRepublican platform hereand theDemocratic platform here.
The party platforms arent quite as important as they sound.
A candidate that didnt adhere to the platform would be unlikely to be nominated.
These days, this obviously isnt the case, since both current nominees won by campaigning to voters directly.
Finally, there are alotof speeches.
Current and past presidents traditionally speak.
At the Democratic convention next week, both President Obama and former President Clinton will give speeches.
Sometimes, a speaking role at conventions can lead tomuch bigger political futuresdown the road.
Conventions mattered a lot more in the past.
The results of these primaries give a candidate a certain number of pledged delegates.
In the Republican party, thats more or less the entire process.
If a candidate gets enough pledged delegates, they win the nomination, end of story.
In the Democratic party, however, there are alsosuperdelegates.
These delegates include all sitting Democratic members of congress and governors, as well as other distinguished party members.
However, the nuance in convention rules can affect the nomination process.
This measure wasdefeated on Thursday of last week.
That aside, Sanders has withdrawn his candidacy andendorsed Clinton anyway, so the issue is moot.
These involve a lot of deal-making between party members and can be dramatic for voters watching from home.
However, a brokered convention hasnt happened since 1952.
With Trump claiming thenecessary majority of delegates, and Bernie Sandersendorsing Hillary Clinton, these scenarios are increasingly unlikely.
However, being unsurprising isnt the same as being ideal.
Most of the rules and procedures that determine how elections go down get started years in advance.
Dont wait until the last minute to start paying attention to politics.
If youre not registered to vote,get registered now.
If youre not familiar with the presidential nominees, startresearching them now and get informed.
Photos by Getty Images.
