A Caucus is a private meeting of members of a political party to plan action or to select delegates for a nominating convention.
In other words: A caucus is more of a party affair, sort of like a town hall meeting. Members gather and hear speeches and engage in discussion before voting for a candidate. The majority of candidates today are selected in primaries.
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A Primary is an election held to nominate a candidate for a particular party at a forthcoming election for public office."In other words: During a primary, voters simply cast their ballot for a particular candidate.
In any case, whether you're invited to a caucus or looking forward to a primary, make sure you read up on all the candidates and issues and then get out there and vote!
Further explanations are below and you can click on each blue link to learn more:
Caucus:In U.S. politics and government, caucus has several distinct but interrelated meanings.
One meaning is a meeting of members of a political party or subgroup to coordinate members' actions, choose group policy, or nominate candidates for various offices. The term is frequently used to discuss the caucuses used by some states to select presidential nominees, such as the Iowa caucuses. Along these same lines, in early American history, the Congressional nominating caucus and legislative caucus were influential meetings of congressmen to decide the party's nominee for President and party platforms. Similar caucuses were held by the parties at state level
Primaries: 1. Presidential Primary
In the United States, Iowa and New Hampshire have drawn attention every four years because they hold the first caucus and primary election, respectively, and often (although not always) give a candidate the momentum to win the nomination.
2. Democratic Primary
<>The Democratic National Committee (DNC) proposed a new schedule and a new rule set for the 2008 Presidential primary elections. Among the changes: the primary election cycle would start nearly a year earlier than in previous cycles, states from the West and the South would be included in the earlier part of the schedule, and candidates who run in primary elections not held in accordance with the DNC's proposed schedule (as the DNC does not have any direct control over each state's official election schedules) would be penalized by being stripped of delegates won in offending states. The New York Times called the move, "the biggest shift in the way Democrats have nominated their presidential candidates in 30 years."
3. Republican Primary
Of note regarding the DNC's proposed 2008 Presidential primary election schedule is that it contrasts with the Republican National Committee's (RNC) rules regarding Presidential primary elections. "No presidential primary, caucus, convention, or other meeting may be held for the purpose of voting for a presidential candidate and/or selecting delegates or alternate delegates to the national convention, prior to the first Tuesday of February in the year in which the national convention is held."
Primary systems state-by-state
For information about a particular state's primary system as of January 2008 see list below. The best source of up-to-date information is often the official website of the state in question, but this can be hard to find. For example, California lists detailed information about its current "modified closed" (i.e. semi-closed) system on the California state website. Similarly, information on the Arizona semi-closed primary system can be found on the Arizona state website. (click ----> this link for a complete list of state primaries)
source: www.wikipedia.com