August 18, 2020: The last meaningful convention moment was 40 years ago. In 1980, Senator Ted Kennedy was challenging incumbent President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination. Carter had won enough delegates to secure the nomination, but Kennedy was convinced that—in their hearts—most delegates preferred him. So, his team challenged the convention rules and called for a vote that would free all the delegates to vote their conscience.[1]

Eventually, Carter’s team carried the day and the president was formally nominated. He went on to lose the general election to Ronald Reagan.[1]

That 1980 convention capped a decade of change in the way we nominate our presidents. We didn’t know it at the time, but the new nomination process would make conventions irrelevant.[1]

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

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