Remember the presidential primaries? From late winter to early spring, presidential hopefuls battled it out, and now there are only two people left standing: Barack Obama and John McCain. While they are considered the presumptive candidates on the ballot come November, it’s not official until they are each nominated by their respective parties at their national conventions.

When and Where

The Democratic party will host the Democratic National Convention from August 25th to 28th in Denver, Colorado. The Republican party will host the Republican National Convention from September 1st to 4th in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota.

What Happens at the Conventions?

During those three days, attendees will learn about, debate, and discuss the issues facing each party—at both a state and local level. Each party’s national platform will also be ratified. Evenings usually feature speeches from prominent party members, including the presumptive vice-presidential candidates and, of course, the nominated presidential candidate.

The main purpose of each convention is to officially nominate the presidential and vice-presidential candidates from each party. Each state sends a group of delegates to their party’s convention. At the convention (depending on state law and state party rules) some delegates are “pledged” (or obligated) to vote for the candidate who won their state district, while others are free to nominate any candidate they want, although most individual delegates vote along the lines of their district.

How Can I Attend the Convention?

There are two ways the general public can attend the convention: either as a state delegate or as a volunteer. Tickets are not for sale.

To become a delegate, you first must be registered with either party. From there, the process of delegate selection varies greatly between states, but it is largely an elected position. The 2008 delegates have already been selected, but you can contact your state party for information on the 2012 delegate selection.

Both the Republican and Democratic conventions will rely heavily on volunteers. Interested Democratic volunteers should visit the party’s volunteer site, while interested Republican volunteers should visit that party’s job board.

If you cannot attend in person, you will be able to virtually attend the conventions through their Websites—www.GOPconvention2008.com (for the Republicans) and www.denverconvention.com (for the Democrats).

In all, some 50,000 attendees are expected at the Democratic convention and 45,000 are expected at the Republican convention.