The 2016 Presidential Sweepstakes The most important political office is that of private citizen.Justice Louis Brandeis

The 2016 presidential election promises to be among the most exciting and important races in American history. Under the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, President Barack Obama is prohibited from running for a third term. Hence, this is truly a wide-open contest. At the time of this writing there are at least six announced Democratic contenders for President and fifteen announced Republican hopefuls. Additionally, the Green Party, Libertarian Party, and scores of minor or third parties that will draft platforms and nominate candidates for the presidency in 2016. Any or all of these minor parties could serve as spoilers that will tip the balance of the American two-party system. The road to the White House is a marathon, filled with many political potholes and obstacles. Consider the process in reverse order. To become the next President of the United States, a person must win a majority (at least 270) of 538 of the Electoral College votes (based to the total number of U.S. Senators and Representatives in the U.S. Congress, plus three for the District of Columbia) on election day, November 8, 2016 (the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November). With the exceptions of Maine and Nebraska, all states are winner-take-all states, with the candidate winning the most popular votes taking all of each states electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska are based on proportional voting, giving the statewide winner two electoral votes and apportioning the remaining electoral votes according to voting results in the individual congressional districts. But first a candidate must secure his or her partys nomination at the national convention in the summer preceding the election. In 2016, the Republican National Convention will be in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loan Area from July 18 to 21; while the Democratic National Convention will convene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center from July 25 to 28. Third parties typically hold their nominating conventions at myriad locations and times preceding the national election. And to win the nomination, one must win a simple majority of the state and territorial (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Americans Abroad) delegates attending the national convention. The state and territorial delegates are selected by the respective states, either through presidential caucuses or presidential primaries. The rules and scheduling of state caucuses and primaries are complex and fluid. By tradition and law, the process begins with the Iowa Caucuses (February 2016), followed by the New Hampshire primary, the South Carolina primary, the Florida primary, and so on until all the states and territories have selected delegates to the convention. Again, the goal is to win delegates to the national convention! In recent presidential elections, many large, delegate-rich states (viz., California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York) have attempted to front-load the process by selecting delegates in February or March. It is therefore possible that the respective Republican and Democratic nominees could be determined very earlyprovided they win a majority of delegates to their respective party conventions. Of course, it is also possible, albeit highly improbable, that no candidate would receive a majority of the delegates needed to secure nomination, making the national nominating conventions truly wide-open and brokered affairs. Anything is possible in American politics.