- Click here.
Generally, political parties use primary elections to determine their nominees in advance of a general election. In some cases, however, political parties can — or must — nominate candidates for the general election without conducting a primary.
In Indiana, Michigan, and South Dakota, state law requires parties to nominate candidates for certain statewide offices, such as lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, at a state party convention.
The following are the state party convention dates in Indiana, Michigan, and South Dakota, as well as the offices up for nomination at each convention:
Indiana (lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, and attorney general):
Democratic convention: June 6, 2026, in Indianapolis
Republican convention: June 19-20, 2026, in Fort Wayne
Michigan (lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, Supreme Court, the boards of Michigan State University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the state Board of Education):
Democratic convention: April 19, 2026, in Detroit
Republican convention: March 28, 2026, in an unknown location
South Dakota (lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, commissioner of school and public lands, and public utilities commissioner):
Democratic convention: June 6, 2026 in Sioux Falls
Republican convention: June 27, 2026, in Rapid City
In Alabama, South Carolina, and Virginia, major political parties may nominate candidates for any statewide office without holding a primary. In Alabama, the party must provide advance notice to the state that it will be foregoing a primary election, while in South Carolina, a party must submit the question of nominating candidates via convention to voters. Neither major party has taken these steps for 2026.
In Virginia, the situation is a bit different. Under state law, party authorities "have the right to determine the method by which a party nomination ... shall be made." Before 2024, some parties nominated candidates for statewide or congressional elections at a caucus or convention.
However, effective January 2024, the law states that a method of nomination "shall not be selected if such method will have the practical effect of excluding participation in the nominating process by qualified voters who are otherwise eligible to participate" but cannot attend meetings due to being active duty military, temporarily living outside of the U.S., being a student, having a disability, or experiencing a contagious disease.
According to Virginia Mercury's Markus Schmidt, "The law effectively forces parties to nominate candidates through state-run primary elections rather than their own party-run contests." The 2024 changes do not apply to special elections.
