The two major political parties will nominate their presidential candidates at the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention in the late summer of 2008.

Each party has its own rules governing how states should select delegates to these conventions. In addition, each state has its own unique laws governing primary elections and other party activities. All of these rules make the nomination process complex--but important, because the rules themselves will determine how the nominee is chosen, and will structure candidates' behavior in their quest for delegates.

Click here for a breakdown of the Democratic superdelegates.

Delegate Results So Far (New York Times)

Commentary and information about Democratic Superdelegates.

The media does, generally, a very poor job telling the American public what the candidates believe, or more importantly, what their records show about the kind of leader they would be. Below are links to sites that provide actual information about the candidates, instead of analysis of the "horserace".

Primary election dates, information, and candidate profiles from the League of Women Voters

Candidates on the issues

See New York Times candidate profiles and coverage

See candidate profiles and get Washington Post coverage of each candidate.

One of the great things about the internet is that it allows us immediate access to the candidates' positions, in their own words. Check out candidate ads, video clips of speeches, and debate clips at YouChoose on YouTube.

You can also check the accuracy of candidates' statements and ads at two nonpartisan websites:

PolitiFact, a service of the St. Peterburg Times and Congressional Quarterly, and

FactCheck.org, a service of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

More to come.