nal
district select two, representing the lower house of Congress. For
each delegate the State convention also selects an _alternate
delegate_, who attends the national convention in case the regular
delegate can not be present.

The national convention is called to order by the chairman of the
national committee. It then elects a temporary chairman, and afterward
a permanent president. The convention appoints the national committee,
calling upon the delegation from each State to name its member; adopts
a declaration of principles, called a _platform_, for the approaching
campaign; nominates candidates for President and Vice President, and
performs various other work connected with the party organization.

PLATFORM.--The declaration of party principles adopted and issued by a
convention is called a platform, and each separate statement of a
principle is popularly called a _plank_.

The platform is an announcement of the policy to be pursued by the
party if its candidates are elected, and is presumed to contain all the
important principles upon which the voters of the party are agreed.
Upon these principles the party claims the right to administer the
public affairs of the country.

The platforms of State and local conventions are usually based upon the
national platform of the same party, but also contain statements of
principles upon local questions.

NOMINATIONS.--To _nominate_ a candidate is to name him for office; that
is, to place his name before the public. The person nominated is
called the nominee, and all the nominees for a certain election
constitute a ticket.

A nomination usually secures to a candidate the general support of the
party. Voters may vote for other persons than the nominees, but the
great body of voters usually support the tickets of their respective
parties. Nomination serves to prevent a great number of candidates,
and thus simplifies the election.

PRIMARY ELECTIONS.--Candidates for township, county, and other offices
are frequently chosen by means of primary elections.

A _primary election_ is an election in which the members of a party
choose their candidates for office. As a rule, none but the members of
the party holding it can vote in a primary election. Many persons
prefer the primary, to a convention, believing the former to be a
fairer and more impartial method of ascertaining the choice of the
party. The voting is usually by ballot.

In many States primary electi