For instance, it may seem as if all of the presidential candidates whose ads you are seeing on TV are running against each other. After all, they both represent the same political party. At this stage of the game, the candidates are merely vying for their respective parties' nominations. Although the political parties won't nominate their candidates until the national conventions next summer, this spring the candidates will challenge each other in a series of primary elections. This arduous process is viewed as a crucible that defines the character of a future president.
Voters use the primaries as a way to get to know their next chief executive.
The United States is one of only a few countries in the world to use a primary election system. This process allows voters to have a say in who gets nominated. A primary is an election where members of each political party get to vote for the person that they would like to have represent their party in the general election. So, at this point, we're just deciding who will face off against each other in November. Primaries came on to the American political scene only recently.