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State lar provides for a choice of either method. The primary election date in 1978 will be June 13, and both parties must notify the State Board of Elections of the nominating route they plan to take “not earlier than 110 days nor later than 90 days” prior to that date.
Thus the decision must be reported between Feb. 24 and March 14.
The Republicans have already made up their minds. At their Roanoke convention last June, the GOP opted for a nominating convention, which has been set for next June 2-3 in Richmond.
The law also requires that nominating conventions must be held within the 30 day period prior to the primary date, and all candidates—including those filing as independents—must have submitted qualifying papers by the time the polls close at 7 p.m. on the primary election day.
The Democratic ’State Central Committee will meet in Richmond Dec. 10 to begin the process which will lead to a decision by the established deadline. For them, that decision may be a tough one.
Just as the Republicans have traditionally done their nominating at a convention, the Democrats have stuck with their traditional primary, but this year the Democratic 'leadership around the state is leaning strongly toward going the convention route. / There are SeVefal reasons for-this, but perhaps thomest - important is a recognition of the results of recent Democratic primaries.
Primary A Problem
There was a time, of course, when the Democratic Primary was the “real” election in Virginia. During the years when the Byrd Organization ruled supreme in the politics of the Commonwealth, the Byrdannointed candidate would meet and dispose of his opponent in these encounters, and then go on to brush off a token Republican challenger in November.
The turnout was, by design, low. It was kept low by the poll tax, literacy tests and broad discretionary power on the part of local polling officials as to who was and was not qualified to cast a ballot.
As a result, political participation was minimal among the vast majority of citizens. For many of them, as long as the cost of government, taxes and the blacks were kept down, they were perfectly content to let the “boys at the courthouse” run things. Through this “courthouse crowd” would come the “word” on what to do when election day rolled around.
93.8%