Why is my state going to hold a primary election before the nominee has been decided?

Why is my state going to hold a primary election before the party nominee has been decided? What if the other nominee wins more delegates, what happens to my primary vote towards the other nominee? What's the difference between a primary election and caucus election?

Public Comments

1. Primaries and caucuses are meant to choose delegates to the convention, who then pick the candidate. Primaries are elections, caucuses are small-group meetings. If your state has the primary after the nominee has been decided, then your vote is meaningless.
2. Uhm.... Holding a primary after the nomination is decided is counter productive.
3. There are two nominees for the presidential election, a Republican and a Democratic nominee. Primaries are used to gain delegates to decide who the nominee will be. That's the point of a primary, if you voted in a primary after the nominees have been selected, then it would be a complete waste of time. Caucuses are really just to gain popularity and prestige.
4. The primary election is to decide who the nominee is. If your state votes for one candidate and the other candidate gets the nomination, your vote counts...but there weren't enough votes for that nominee. The difference between a primary and a caucus is during a primary election, votes are by secret ballot. During caucuses, votes are open and public. It requires that each candidate gets at least 15% of the initial vote. If a candidate doesn't reach 15%, his/her supporters are asked to support a different candidate and if they decide not to, their vote is recorded as uncommitted.
5. Pick up a government book and learn how we elect officials to run, come on you should have learned this your junior year in High School
6. ??? The whole purpose of a primary election (or caucus, for states that have them) is to CHOOSE the nominee. Once the nominee has been chosen, there's no point to a primary. The reason to vote in a primary (when it actually HAS a point -- it's been a long time since these were decided by more than 3 states) is to give YOUR choice for nominee YOUR vote. A caucus is just another method, distinct from an election, for a state to determine delegates. Back in the olden days, it was decided, by the delegates to the national convention, who was to be nominee. After all the parties have chosen their nominees, they run against each other in the General Election, which determines who actually wins office (well, when we actually HAVE an real election). It's been a long time -- this is the first primary I can recall where I actually had a vote; before this, it was always decided long before my state voted.