How is the overall winner decided?
A candidate’s progress through the season is measured in the number of delegates he or she collects from each contest for the late summer nominating conventions. Delegates are usually awarded on the basis of a candidate’s share of the vote (a few contests are non-binding and use other methods to allocate delegates – again it varies from state to state). The nomination is usually settled within a few months of the first vote when a clear frontrunner emerges and the remaining candidates in the race concede. The most likely date in 2008 is February 5, when delegates from more than 20 states are up for grabs, including populous and delegate-rich New York, California and Illinois. Primaries and caucuses continue through the spring and early summer up to as late as June, but will only have an impact if there is not already a clear winner. If the late primaries fail to produce to a nominee, the process then moves to the nominating conventions – however, this has not happened since the 1970s.
