US Presidential Election 2016: Primary and Caucus Schedule

Primaries and caucuses are the mechanisms used by political parties to choose candidates for public office in states across the US.

 
There are three forms of primaries, the direct primary, indirect primary and caucus. In direct primaries, party members vote for their preferred candidates, while in an indirect one, the ballots are for delegates who will in turn vote for their favored candidates.
 
Unlike state-run primaries, caucuses are party-organized political forums which are usually held behind closed doors. Primaries and caucuses are typically held before each state or national level election. 

The first ever direct primary was organized by the Crawford County Democratic Party in Meadville, Pennsylvania, back in 1842. The practice was soon emulated by other political parties in other states across the nation. All fifty states, the District of Columbia, as well as the nine US territories, now depend exclusively on primaries and caucuses to determine a party's election nominee.
 
Election 2016 Primary and Caucus Schedule by Date [Some Dates Still Tentative]

• Monday, February 1st, 2016 - Iowa Caucuses
  
• Tuesday, February 9th, 2016 - New Hampshire Primaries
  
• Saturday, February 20th, 2016 - South Carolina Primaries and Election
  
• Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016 - Nevada Caucuses
  
• Super Tuesday - 12 states will hold primaries or caucuses on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

From that point on, there are primaries or caucuses almost every week through June 2016. 

To see the complete schedule of primaries and caucuses across the country, go to http://2016.primary-caucus.org