2008 Nominating Season at a Glance
The following primary and caucus calendar for the
2008 presidential nominating process is based on information from
the Democratic and Republican national committees and state
parties as of late December 2007.
Republicans have already punished all states
holding events before February 5 with the loss of half of their
delegates. The GOP has allowed the pre-February 5 caucus
states of Iowa, Nevada, Hawaii, and Maine to retain all their
delegates because delegate selection in each state does not
actually occur until later.
Meanwhile, the Democratic national party has
stripped Florida of its full complement of Democratic delegates.
Michigan Democrats will also lose all of their delegates if by
January 5 they do not choose an alternative delegate-selection
event to be held on February 5 or later.
More information about the data found in this table is located below.
NOTE: Four (4) Democratic unpledged superdelegates are not assigned to any state or territory
but are included in the overall count. While any Texas voter can participate in the March 4 primary, only those who cast a Democratic ballot can also take part in the party's caucuses that evening.
Key to symbols in the table:
(*) The date of the primary or caucus is subject to change.
(#) The state party is in violation of the timing rule set by each party and
has lost or could lose some or all of its delegates.
(—) The information is unavailable or is not applicable.
(##) See definition of closed voting system.
Two Democratic delegate counts are presented, one
for pledged delegates (those that will be selected to reflect
primary or caucus results) and another for all delegates
(including 825 unpledged "superdelegates," who are reserved seats by virtue of their party or elected positions).
Republican delegates are elected in primaries and caucuses, except for members of the Republican National Committee—the chairman, committeeman, and committeewoman from each state or territory—who are automatic delegates. All are included in the Republican delegate column below.
Democrats use a nationwide system of proportional representation for allocating their pledged delegates. Any candidate who receives at least 15 percent of the vote statewide or in a district (usually a congressional district) qualifies for a share of the delegates at that level.
Republicans allow considerable variation in the allocation of their delegates, and the state parties use a variety of methods that can range from statewide winner-take-all to proportionality.
A primary is a single-day event. A caucus is usually the first stage of a multitiered process that extends over several weeks or months before the delegates are actually selected
at district and state conventions. In most cases, the Democrats and Republicans hold their primary or caucus on the same date. In cases where they do not, (D) indicates a Democratic event and (R) indicates a Republican event. Neither party allows states to vote before the first Tuesday in February 2008 (Feb. 5), although the Democrats have granted waivers for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
However, waivers were not granted for Florida or
Michigan.
