Wisconsin will hold Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The process can sound complex, and people are often confused about when, where and how to vote. We hope that this blog post answers some of your questions.
How the Wisconsin Primary Process Works
In both parties, the delegate system helps make sure that the candidate chosen is the most representative and the most likely to be competitive in the general election. The parties hold primaries to choose delegates. Those delegates will then represent their states at their party conventions prior to the presidential election.
For Democrats, 86 pledged delegates are at stake. For Republicans, 42 pledged delegates are at stake. The parties do things a little bit differently:
- The Democrats: Delegates will be allocated proportionately. Candidates will each receive a percentage of the pledged delegates, depending on how people vote. There is a threshold, however: A candidate must receive more than 15 percent of the votes cast in order to be allocated pledged delegates.
- The Republicans: Delegates are allocated on a winner-take-all basis, so the candidate who receives a relative majority of the votes will be allocated all of the pledged delegates.