When does a national party committee defer to the president to choose a national chair?

Presidential electors get together in each state every four years to cast their votes for president and vice president. Electors are chosen in processes defined by state law, creating a patchwork of selection processes. In some cases, state laws defer to political party bylaws to define how electors are chosen.

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How are Electors Chosen?
By State Party Convention
By State Party Committee
Additional Methods for How Electors Are Chosen
Video: How are Electors Chosen?

How are Electors Chosen?

The following list categorizes how each state selects its electors as of the 2016 presidential election. There are 33 states that choose electors by party convention, while seven states and the District of Columbia select electors by state party committees. The remaining 10 states use gubernatorial appointments, appointment by party nominees, state chair appointments, presidential nominee appointments, and hybrid methods for elector selection.

The typical qualifications for a presidential elector include current membership in the party, current voter registration, and a pledge to vote for the party’s presidential ticket. No matter the selection method, a slate of alternates is usually selected in case electors are unable to fulfill their duties. Another common feature of state elector laws is the allowance for electors to select replacements by majority vote in case of unexpected absences.

By State Party Convention

This method is the most commonly used for selection of presidential electors. Each party’s state convention nominates electors from each congressional district to vote for the national party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates. Vacancies following the convention are filled by the central committee of the state party.

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

By State Party Committee

The central committee for each state or district party with a presidential ticket selects electors prior to the general election. This committee also appoints replacements for elector vacancies prior to the presidential election.

District of Columbia, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, South Carolina

Additional Methods for How Electors Are Chosen

The following states use other methods for selecting their presidential electors:

Arizona: By state party chair

The state chair for each party with a presidential ticket selects electors prior to the general election. The chair also appoints replacements for elector vacancies prior to the presidential election.

California: By state officeholders and candidates

Democratic nominees for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate each nominate an elector in presidential years. The California Republican Party selects nominees for state and federal offices along with legislative leaders and committee members as electors.

Florida: By governor

Florida’s governor selects each party’s presidential electors from nominations made by state party committees. The governor can only choose electors based on party nominations.

Illinois: By state party committee and state party convention

The central committee for the Democratic Party of Illinois selects presidential electors. The Illinois Republican Party nominates its presidential electors during a state convention.

Maryland: By state party chair and state party committee

The state chair of the Maryland Democratic Party appoints electors based on nominations from local party committees. The Maryland Republican Party’s central committee appoints electors prior to the presidential election.

North Carolina: By district and state party conventions

Each party selects an elector for each congressional district during district conventions. The party’s state convention selects two at-large electors to complete its Electoral College slate.

Oregon: By party leaders and district conventions

The Oregon Democratic Party selects congressional district committee chairs and the state party’s chair and vice chair as electors. The Oregon Republican Party nominates electors during congressional district conventions.

Pennsylvania: By presidential nominee

The presidential nominee for each party nominates electors to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. The vice presidential nominee may be asked to nominate electors at the presidential nominee’s discretion.

Rhode Island: By state officeholders and candidates

Each party with a presidential ticket holds a convention prior to the presidential election that selects electors. This convention consists solely of state and federal officeholders and candidates for these offices in the general election.

Wisconsin: By state officeholders and candidates

State legislators, state executives, and candidates for those offices from each party nominate electors. This nomination process takes place the October prior to the presidential election.

Video: How are Electors Chosen?

The federal campaign finance law defines “political party” as a committee or organization whose nominated or selected candidates for federal office appear on the ballot as the party’s candidates. However, ballot access is governed by state law.

Any organization that wants to become a political party should keep in mind federal campaign finance laws and regulations. First, national party committees may not accept or direct any funds outside the limits and prohibitions of federal law. Second, certain activity by state, district and local committees, termed federal election activity (FEA), is uniquely regulated. Third, party committees are restricted in how they may support certain tax exempt organizations. Finally, party committees meeting a certain financial threshold must register with the FEC and file regular financial reports.

While national party committees are not entitled to exemptions in the law that encourage grassroots activity, they have other advantages. They can make coordinated party expenditures on behalf of House, Senate and presidential nominees. Moreover, they have higher limits on the contributions they raise than other committees.

The laws in each state determine when a political organization qualifies as a “political party” entitled to have its candidates’ names appear as party-designated candidates on the general election ballot. While the laws differ from state to state, they generally all require a nonmajor party to demonstrate sufficient voter support—such as by filing a petition for party recognition signed by a representative number of voters—in order to qualify for ballot access in the general election. Moreover, the party must receive a sufficient number of votes in the election in order to sustain its qualified status.

In nearly all states, a party can achieve limited recognition as a political party for a specific general election by being named as the organization represented by the candidate in his or her nominating petition. Contact the Secretary of State’s office (or equivalent office) in each state for specific information on achieving political party status under state law.

Federal law defines a national committee as an organization which, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the party at the national level, as determined by the Commission. A committee should seek an FEC advisory opinion (AO) to verify that it has attained national committee status before taking advantage of the expanded contribution and expenditure limits that apply to a qualified national committee. The Commission will decide whether the committee or the party has demonstrated sufficient national-level activity to qualify, based on the criteria listed below:

The party’s ballot access efforts must extend beyond the presidential races to races for the U.S. Congress. The party must have a sufficient number of party-designated federal candidates on the ballot in a sufficient number of states in different geographic areas to meet this requirement;
The committee must engage in activities such as voter registration drives on an ongoing basis (rather than with respect to a particular election);
A national committee must publicize, on a national basis, issues of importance to the party and its adherents such as through print or on a party website. This activity might involve publishing the party’s philosophy and positions, issuing press releases and distributing a national newsletter; and
Other factors which indicate that a party committee has attained national status include holding a national convention; setting up national headquarters; and establishing state party committees.

A state party committee is the organization that by virtue of the bylaws of a political party or by the operation of state law is part of the official party structure and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a political party at the state level, including any entity established, maintained, financed or controlled by the organization. Whether an organization qualifies as a state party committee is determined by the Commission. Committees desiring such a determination should submit an AO request to the Commission.

Three requirements must be met in order for a committee to qualify as a state party committee:

The committee must have at least one candidate for federal office whose name appears on the ballot as a candidate of the committee;
The committee must possess an official party structure;
The relationship between the political party and the committee must be based on an agreement that requires the committee to perform activities commensurate with the day-to-day operation of the party on a state level.

A district or local party committee is the organization that by virtue of the bylaws of a political party or by the operation of state law is part of the official party structure. It is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a political party at the level of city, county, neighborhood, ward, district, precinct or any other subdivision of a state.

A subordinate committee is a committee that operates in any subdivision of a state or is an organization under the control or direction of a state committee and is directly or indirectly established, financed, directed or controlled by a state, district or local committee.

Learn about registering a political party committee

Learn about gaining ballot access for a political party committee