What is the main purpose of the national conventions held by the two major political parties

On a less formal level, conventions serve to get party delegates and members organized and excited for an upcoming election.

Conventions can take place at several levels, including local, state, or national. The most significant party conventions in the United States are the national conventions of the Republican and Democratic parties. Both conventions take place every four years during the summer before a presidential election.

National conventions have thousands of attendees who aren't involved in the official business at hand. These include activists, party officials, volunteers, local business leaders, and news media.

National Conventions: Origins in Conflict

National conventions have their roots in the early 1800s. At that time, members of Congress would meet with their party caucuses to determine a nominee. But as more newly settled western states started clashing with eastern states over nominee choices, a convention to resolve the matter became practical.

Those tensions set the tone for the 1824 Democratic-Republican convention, in which factions of delegates refused to back the nominee put forth by the party caucus.

These days, thanks to primary elections, it's rare that a nominee hasn't been mostly decided on before a party convention begins. The last time a national party convention contained any drama regarding the nominee was 1976 when delegates were undecided between President Gerald Ford and challenger Ronald Reagan.

The Role of Delegates

A nominee is chosen by delegates, who act as voting representatives at the convention. The number of delegates representing a given state or territory is determined by such factors as population and the number of Congressional representatives. Delegate attendees usually range in number from 2,500 to 5,000.

A delegate can be any registered member of a given party. While delegates of the two political parties in the United States usually pledge their vote to one candidate, there are also unpledged delegates. These are known as super delegates.

In states with presidential primaries, voters choose their delegates. In states with caucuses, delegates are selected at the party's state convention.

To ensure the Republican nomination, a candidate needs to win 1,237 delegates. The Democratic nominee needs 2,383 delegates.

Occasionally, a party holds a brokered convention, which means none of the candidates was able to secure enough delegates to gain the nomination on a first-ballot vote. In that case, delegates keep holding votes until they settle on a nominee.

Choosing a Host City for a National Convention

Parties choose the locations of the national conventions at least a year and a half in advance. Cities vie aggressively for the chance to host since conventions of this scale tend to provide a significant economic boost.

Parties will often choose a host city based on the success of a past convention held there, or because a city has a strong association with the party or with the prospective nominee.

Because of the attendance size, conventions are usually held in sporting or concert arenas. Third parties, such as the Socialist, Libertarian, and Green parties, also hold nominating conventions.

What Happens at a National Convention?

During a national convention, parties:

• Craft a platform (a set of principles and goals)
• Hear from speakers
• Introduce their nominee
• Hear the nominee gives an acceptance speech

Crafting a Platform

Once a convention is underway, a platform is written and refined. Sometimes the language of the platform is generic, and other times it addresses specific issues.

Voting for a nominee is done publicly, with a roll call of states and territories taken in alphabetical order. This usually happens with great pomp, with each state's spokesperson prefacing his or her vote with a flowery description of the state they come from.

Introducing the Nominee

A staple of party conventions is speeches -- lots of them. Lesser figures in the party usually speak in the daytime, often reiterating platform issues or promoting a favored candidate.

Evening speeches are usually reserved for major figures from the hosting state, former presidents and governors, and sometimes even celebrities. A climactic keynote speech underscores the themes and ideas that the party has settled on.

The grand finale of the convention introduces the party nominee. The nominee's acceptance speech is the element of any convention, and it gets the most attention. This speech gives the nominee a chance to outline and reiterate their plans once they reach office.

Although the nominee's identity is usually a foregone conclusion, the acceptance speech is generally followed by music, celebrating, and dropping thousands of balloons from the rafters.

Between the platform, the nomination, and the conventions, the overall sense is of a giant pep rally. Party conventions are traditional events and are likely to be a staple of every major election cycle.

During every presidential election cycle, both the major and minor political parties hold what is called a national convention to select who will be on the party ticket for president. Some argue that these national conventions are just a place for the party to rally its base around a set agenda, and to have a celebration. Others argue that they serve as an important feature of our constitutional republic by ensuring that conversation within parties can exist and people’s voices can be represented. As a result of COVID-19, both the Republican and Democratic parties have made changes to the format of their conventions. In this eLesson, students will explore the history of political parties, assess the purpose of national political conventions, and analyze if conventions can still serve their purpose during the pandemic.

Handouts:

Instructions:

Have students read Federalist No. 10 and answer the following questions. Note: They can read the shortened section below or the full, annotated paper on Handout A.

Federalist No. 10 Selections

Among the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed union, none deserves to be more accurately developed, than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction… By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community. There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: The one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects. There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: The one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests. It could never be more truly said, than of the first remedy, that it is worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an aliment, without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency. The second expedient is as impracticable, as the first would be unwise. As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed…The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society. The two great points of difference, between a democracy and a republic, are, first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. The other point of difference is, the greater number of citizens, and extent of territory, which may be brought within the compass of republican, than of democratic government; and it is this circumstance principally which renders factious combinations less to be dreaded in the former, than in the latter. The smaller the society, the fewer probably will be the distinct parties and interests composing it; the fewer the distinct parties and interests, the more frequently will a majority be found of the same party; and the smaller the number of individuals composing a majority, and the smaller the compass within which they are placed, the more easily will they concert and execute their plans of oppression. Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other…

1. Why does Madison state that factions are dangerous in a republic?
2. How does Madison define a faction?
3. According to Madison, what can be done to cure the cause of faction? Why does he state this to be dangerous?
4. Do you agree with Madison that the “causes of faction are sown in the nature of man”? Why or why not?
5. According to Madison, what is the fundamental difference between a democracy and a republic?
6. In your own words, summarize Madison’s argument for why a large republic will help alleviate the effects of factions.

Next, have students read Handout B: Functions of Conventions, Handout C: 2016 Republican National Convention, and Handout D: 2016 Democratic National Convention. Lead a class discussion on the purpose and effectiveness of conventions as a tool for supporting popular sovereignty. Use the questions below to guide the talk.

1. According to Handout B, why were conventions originally created? What purpose do they serve now?
2. Does the disunity shown at the 2016 Republican National Convention conflict with Handout B’s description of the modern convention? Why or why not?
3. Does the disunity shown at the 2016 Democratic National Convention conflict with Handout B’s description of the modern convention? Why or why not?
4. Would Madison describe party conventions as factions? Why or why not?
5. If party conventions are factions, can the fact that they are made up of members from various states and backgrounds alleviate their negative impact?
6. If the national conventions are not held in-person this year due to COVID-19, what impact may that have on the political process? On popular sovereignty?