What happens at a national party convention?

The national party convention is the quadrennial gathering where a party officially selects its presidential ticket. Thousands of delegates, alternates, party officials, elected leaders, media, and observers converge on a single arena for four days of carefully staged events.

The convention has several formal functions. Committees on credentials (determining who is a legitimate delegate), rules (setting the procedures), and platform (drafting the party's policy document) do their work in the days before and during the convention. The full delegate body votes to adopt committee reports.

The centerpiece is the roll-call vote for the presidential nomination, in which each state delegation announces its delegate totals by candidate. Once a candidate secures a majority, the nomination is declared. The nominee then delivers the acceptance speech, the convention's prime-time culmination.

The vice presidential nominee is typically announced before or during the convention (though sometimes earlier), and the VP also delivers an acceptance speech. The event concludes with the presidential nominee's speech, the formal kickoff to the general election campaign.