Ask The Experts

The Campaign 2000 staff at CBSNews.com has the answers to your political questions:

What's A Caucus?size>color>
"What is a caucus and how does it work?" Dale is curious to know.

CBS News Political Unit:
State parties which do not choose their national convention delegates in binding primaries generally select them by a process which starts with local meetings of party members called CAUCUSES. The caucuses elect delegates to a regional (usually county) convention, which, in turn, elects delegates who will meet later to pick the district and at large delegates to the national convention.

Issuessize>color>
Kyratess asks "What are the issues that most concern the candidates?"

CBS News Political Unit:
Democrats:
Bradley - health care, campaign finance reform, race relations, gun control

Gore - education, environment, health care, economy, technology, gun control, child poverty

Republicans:
Bush - education, big tax cuts, encouraging religious groups' involvement in the provision of social services

McCain - campaign finance reform, foreign policy, deficit reduction, Social Security

Reform Party:
Buchanan - trade, immigration, foreign policy

Clinching The Nominationsize>color>
"How many votes will it take for Bush to get the nomination?" asks Flutegirlnum1." And, how many votes to win the Democratic nomination?

CBS News Political Unit:
Bush, or any of the Republican candidates, would need 1,034 delegates in order to win the nomination. The Democratic candidate needs 2170.

How Many?size>color>
Bright would like to know, "How many delegates are at stake tonight?"

CBS Political Unit:
613 Republican delegates and 1315 Democratic delegates are at stake this evening.

Delegates Vs. Popular Votesize>color>
"I realize that a certain number of delegate points are needed in order for a candidate to be nominated," writes Kathryn Fraas. "Who makes up the delegates and how does that differ from the popular vote?"

Dotty Lynch, Senior Political Editor, CBS News:
In the Democratic primary, delegates are divided proportionally among all candidates receiving more than 15-percent of the vote. In some states delegates run individually on the same ballot as "pledged to candidates" or "uncommitted", but the state delegation must vote according to the results of the primary. They get on the ballot by being picked by the candidates they support. In addition, there are about 800 "superdelegates" - Democratic members of Congress, Governors, and party officials who are NOT bound by the results of the primaries.

On the Republican side, eah state has different rules. Some are winner-take-all, some proportional - and delegates are chosen either by the candidates they support or directly by the voters. Sometimes they are chosen in state conventions by other members of their party.

Why Tuesday?size>color>
"Why are many primaries held on Tuesdays?" asks Yuka Summer. "Is there a historical background to having Tuesdays for voting? Is the reason, if there is one, the same as that for Presidential election day being a Tuesday? If so, what is it?"

Steve Chaggaris, Associate Producer, CBS News Political Unit:
Although there are many primaries held on Tuesdays, there are actually primaries held on other days, as well. But as for Election Day in November, there is a historical background for that. The Uniform Election Day Act took effect in 1848, establishing the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as Election Day. According to the Boston Globe, "November was chosen because it was the most promising month for voter turnout. (There was no spring planting, crops had already been harvested and winter had not yet arrived.) Other days of the week were rejected for various reasons: Sunday, because Protestants would not vote; Monday and Friday, because they were the beginning and end of the work week; Thursday, because that's when the English voted and Saturday, because of shopping."

Independent Voterssize>color>
Christine M asks "Why can't registered independents vote in a primary?"

CBS News Political Unit:
Eligibility rules are determined by state law and/or state/national party rules. In many instances, independents can vote in primaries and caucuses. Today, for example, independents can vote in all Republican primaries except Connecticut, New York and California. On the Democratic side, independents can vote in all primaries/caucuses except Connecticut, Maryland, New York, California and American Samoa.

Cross-Over Votingsize>color>
One of our viewers would like to know "what is the reasoning behind allowing Democrats to vote in Republican primaries? It would seem to me they could vote for the candidate least likely to beat the Democratic nominee.

Steve Chaggaris, Associate Producer, CBS News Political Unit:
First off, there are many states that don't register their voters by party such as Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington. So for those primaries, any registered voter can vote in either primary, making it an open primary. In these states, there's no such thing as a registered Democrat voting in a Republican primary since voters are not registered by party. When analysts refer to "Democrats and independents voting for a candidate" those people have identified themselves to pollsters with those labelsthey are not recognized on state voter rolls like that.

There's been an opening up of the primary process in the last few years: an attempt by secretaries of state to increase turnout and an effort by Republicans to attract so-called "Reagan Democrats." While California and Ohio are the only states to actually allow registered Democrats to vote in Republican primaries, several states have recently opened their primaries to independent voters.

Ohio Win A Must?size>color>
"Regardless of who wins, McCain or Bush, can a Republican win the White House without winning Ohio?" wonders Tammy Lattavo.

Dick Meyer, Washington Editorial Director, CBSNews.com:
You're right that Ohio is one of those perennial bellweather states and each party tends to think it is a must-win state in a general election. It's ethnic mix, economic mix, and rural-urban composition make it a real microcosm of the country. But general election dynamics have become so complex that it's an oversimplification to say that any winning Republican must carry Ohio.

If John McCain is the GOP nominee, most recent models for predicting elections should be poured down the drain. His appeal to Democrats and independents would appear to make him a potent general election candidate in every state, Ohio included.

As for Bush, it might appear a more hostile terrain in a contest against Al Gore. Clinton after all carried the state twice there and the job situation is far better than it was eight years ago. But would an Ohio stumble doom George Bush? Not necessarily.

It isn't hard to imagine a scenario where Bush does very well in the South, in Texas, in California and mixes it up with Gore in the Rust Belt. Bush and Gore have so many similarities in pedigree, biography, disposition that it's hard to make a prediction this early.

How Many? And Where?size>color>
Bob Waldrop and others have asked, "How many states are having primaries. Which ones?"

Francesca Gessner, CBS News Political Unit:
13 states are holding Republican primaries/caucuses:
Georgia, Vermont, Ohio, Connecticut, Missouri, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota (caucus), New York, Rhode Island, California, Washington (caucus)

15 States & 1 territory are holding Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Georgia, Vermont, Ohio, Connecticut, Missouri, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Dakota (caucus), New York, Rhode Island, Idaho (caucus), Washington (caucus), California, Hawaii (caucus) and American Samoa (caucus).

Songs And Sloganssize>color>
"What are the candidates songs and slogans?" 'Giggly Girl 11' thinks "it's great to see the fun side of an election."

Sean Richardson, Associate Producer, CBS News Political Unit:
Bush - Campaign slogan is "Reformer With Results" Campaign songs include: La Bamba by Los Lobos, Respect by Aretha Franklin and Signed Sealed Delivered by Stevie Wonder.

McCain - Campaign slogan is "Straight Talk." Campaign song is Centerfield by John Fogerty.

Gore - Campaign slogan is "Fighting For Us." Campaign songs include: Rock This Country by Shania Twain and Love Train by the O'Jays.

Bradley - Campaign slogan is "It Can Happen." Campaign song is Ain't No Stopping Us Now by McFadden and Whitehead.

Credit For The Economy?size>color>
Glenn Lee Adams notes "The economy is doing great, no one is questioning that. But why is it that credit for this achievement has been given solely to Clinton and his administration? Since the majority in Congress has been Republican during Clinton's second term in office, why hasn't some of the credit, if not most of it, been given to the Republican Congress?"

As a follow-up question, "What would be the state of the economy right now if Clinton (with Hillary running a nationwide heath care system overhaul) had enjoyed having a Democratic controlled congress during both of his terms in office?"

Dick Meyer, Washington Editorial Director, CBS News.com:
I think the answer is that Republicans ARE getting some credit for the economy. Given how prosperous the nation is and how long this era of prosperity has lasted, if Republicans weren't getting some credit, convention wisdom would declare that no GOP White House hopeful has a chance. And that's not happening. At this point in the season, it seems that the Republican and Democratic candidates all have wide open shots based on their campaigns, not based on who gets credit for the boom times.

I suspect the real truth is that most Americans gives themselves, their neighbors, their colleagues - credit for the economy, not any politician.

But it is certainly true that trust in politicians generally has degraded so much, that Americans, on some unspoken level, feel more comfortable having power divided between the two parties. For years now, voters have refused to give one party control of Congress and the White House.

Now, would the economy be humming so loudly if the Democrats held on to Congress? Who knows? Certainly not me.

Ohio - Open Or Closed?size>color>
"Is Ohio an open or closed primary? Some areas I've asked say open, others say closed! How do I find out the truth?" Candee Hurt wants to know.

CBS Political Unit:
Ohio is definitely an open primary and that's why McCain thought he could do well there.

Send your questions to supertuesday@cbsnews.com.