184 PART Two • ThE PoliTiCs oF AmERiCAn DEmoCRACy
Credentials Committee
A committee used by
political parties at their
national conventions to
determine which delegates
may participate. The
committee inspects the
claim of each prospective
delegate to be seated as a
legitimate representative
of his or her state.permission to choose delegates before
that date. Traditional lead-off states
such as Iowa and New Hampshire were
allowed to go first, and a limited num-
ber of other states also received such
permission.
Not all states were willing to fol-
low the official schedule, however. In
principle, the national parties had all
the power they needed to enforce the
rules—they could cut the number of
delegates a state was authorized to
send to the national convention, or
even refuse to seat a state delegation
altogether. The two national commit-
tees found it politically difficult to
impose tough punishments.on to the
national Convention
Presidential candidates have been
nominated by the convention method
in every election since 1832. Extra del-
egates are allowed from states that had voting majorities for the party in the preceding
elections. Parties also accept delegates from the District of Columbia, the territories, and
U.S. citizens living abroad.seating the Delegates. At the convention, each political party uses a credentials
committee to determine which delegates may participate. Controversy may arise when
rival groups claim to be the official party organization. The Mississippi Democratic Party
split along racial lines in 1964 at the height of the civil rights movement in the Deep South.
Two separate sets of delegates were selected at the state level—one made up of white
delegates and the other including both whites and African Americans—and both factions
showed up at the national convention. After much debate on party rules, the committee
decided to seat the pro–civil rights delegates and exclude those who represented the tra-
ditional “white” party.Convention Activities. Most delegates arrive at the convention committed to a
presidential candidate. No convention since 1952 has required more than one ballot to
choose a nominee. Conventions normally last four days, but in both 2008 and 2012 the
Republican convention was shortened to three days due to hurricanes. On each night,
featured speakers seek to rally the party faithful and draw in uncommitted voters who are
watching on television. In 2012, about 25 million viewers saw presidential candidate Mitt
Romney speak to the Republican convention. At the Democratic convention, almost 36
million Americans tuned in to see President Obama, and 25 million watched the nomina-
tion address by former president Bill Clinton.
Public opinion polls following each convention showed a definite “bounce” for the
Democrats but not for the Republicans. Some attributed this result to Clinton—his speech
was widely considered to be unusually effective.A District of Columbia voter casts her ballot in the District’s 2012
primary elections. Can D.C. residents choose voting members of the U.S. House and
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