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Yes. In the general election, you can vote for whoever you like regardless of what party you are affiliated or registered with. Yes. In many (but not all) states, party affiliation affects what primaries you can vote in. But it does not force you to vote for that party's candidates in the general election.
Five parties nominated candidates for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Libertarian Party, the Green Party and the Constitution Party. In addition to their candidates, Ralph Nader ran as an Independent.
At the UK general election, 138 political parties nominated candidates for Parliament - the vast majority in just one parliamentary constituency. Only 56 nominated multiple candidates; 25 nominated 10 or more. No party nominated a candidate in every constituency; the party with the most candidates was the Conservative Party, which nominated 631 of its own candidates and jointly-nominated a further 17 with the Ulster Unionist Party, meaning it nominated candidates in 648 of 650 constituencies. The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats both nominated candidates in the same 631 seats. The United Kingdom Independence Party (572 candidates) and the British National Party (338 candidates) were the only other parties who nominated candidates in more than half the seats up for election; the English, Welsh and Scottish Green parties did, however, nominate 330 between them. The average voter had a choice of between 5 and 6 party candidates in a constituency, with every constituency having at least 3 party candidates. Voters could not support parties who did not contest the constituency they voted in.
4 years
What is a political party's main purpose? A political party's purpose is to gain majority party control of the government by nominating candidates for office, coordinating campaigns, providing cues for voters, articulating policies, and coordinating policy-making.
True. A primary election is held when there are too many candidates running for the same position. When the primary election is over, the 2 candidates with the most votes will be eligible for the general election.
no limit
This depends on the election, but generally, there are only a few serious candidates every election.
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The simplest reason is that when there is a clear candidate that is generally believed to be the party's inevitable candidate, that party will rally around that person. The Republican Party in this election is the exact opposite of this, with no candidate really appearing to be inevitable. There is also a large fight between the Republican establishment and the non-establishment candidates, leading to many candidates not withdrawing even though their poll numbers are low.
Theoretically - they change every time there is a General election. However - So long as their party is re-elected, and they don't resign their seat as an MP, If they're still the party leader, and their party is re-elected at a General election - they could be Prime minister for many years.