Introduction
Simply put, in order to have one representative for each party the US presidential race, candidates of the two
major political parties exercise state-by-state primary elections and caucuses, which occur in the winter and
spring before the general election. Officially, candidates only become their party’s presidential nominee after
a vote is taken by party delegates to the Republican or Democratic presidential nominating conventions later
in the summer. These delegates are supposed to take their cue from the voters who cast ballots during their
states’ primaries and caucuses, though each party’s rules make it possible for multiple rounds of balloting
and significant horse trading if no candidate is able to muster a majority on the first ballot. In recent years,
this has not happened. Since 1976, in fact, no major party convention has opened with the identity of the
nominee in question.
So, what is a delegate?
Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their states at their party conventions prior to a presidential
election. The rules for selecting delegates, which are dictated by the parties, vary not only by party, but by
state, and sometimes by congressional district. A party might grant additional delegates as a reward if a state
has a recent history of supporting that party, for example. In other cases, delegates might simply be allocated
to a state based on the percentage of votes that state is granted in the Electoral College.
At both conventions, delegates must cast their vote in favor of one candidate. If no clear majority is reached,
they must continue voting until they do.
And what is a superdelegate?
The Democratic Party has superdelegates, which include elected officials, like members of Congress, and
party officials. At the Democratic convention, superdelegates account for twenty percent (20%) of overall
delegates and are not committed to any one candidate. In other words, they can throw their support to
whomever they want at the convention.
The Democratic nomination process was altered to include superdelegates in 1984. That year, former Vice
President Walter Mondale won the Democratic nomination with strong support from party stalwarts. Some
experts say Democratic candidate George McGovern’s landslide 1972 loss to Richard Nixon influenced the
party’s introduction of superdelegates.
How does the Republican Party pick delegates?
Overall, 2,348 delegates (Newsweek) will attend the Republican National Convention in Minnesota in
September. All will have already pledged to whichever candidate won their state. To win the nomination, a
candidate must win the votes of at least 1,191 delegates at the convention. The Republican Party rules for
selecting those delegates vary from state to state. In some states, a portion of delegates is allotted to each
congressional district, while in others, the entire state is allowed a certain number of delegates. Each state
chooses six “at-large” delegates and three additional “district delegates” for each Representative that state
has in the House. Each state can also earn bonus delegates if a Republican candidate won that state in the
last presidential election, or if the state elected Republicans to Congress, the governorship, or state
legislative majorities. A state can also gain bonus delegates if its primary election is scheduled after March
15.
How does the Democratic Party pick delegates?
Eighty percent (80%) of the 4,050 Democratic Party delegates will arrive at the convention having already
been pledged to a specific candidate during the primaries and caucuses. The number of delegates needed
to win the Democratic nomination is 2,025. Any Democratic candidate receiving at least fifteen percent (15%)
of the vote in a given primary or caucus is entitled to a proportional number of delegates from that state.
What is the role of independents?
Because independent voters are unaffiliated with any party, they do not as a group receive delegates or hold
their own national nominating convention or meeting. However, more than half of the states holding primaries
Super Tuesday allow participation from voters unaffiliated with any party. Some states allow voters to switch
their party affiliation the day before an election, so that independents can choose to register as a Republican
or Democrat if they support a specific candidate.
What is a brokered convention?
For many years, party primaries and caucuses have produced the successful nominees and conventions
served to formally anoint the presidential candidates on the first ballot. But in the event of a competitive
primary process, delegates at a convention could have more difficulty in reaching a clear majority of support
for any one candidate. A brokering process then takes place, with multiple ballots a possibility. Though a
brokered convention has not occurred in either party since 1952 when Adlai Stevenson won the Democratic
nomination, some say it remains a possibility for either party in 2008 because of the closeness of both races.
Excerpts from The Role of Delegates in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process
Author: Joanna Klonsky, Campaign 2008 Staff
Simply put, in order to have one representative for each party the US presidential race, candidates of the two
major political parties exercise state-by-state primary elections and caucuses, which occur in the winter and
spring before the general election. Officially, candidates only become their party’s presidential nominee after
a vote is taken by party delegates to the Republican or Democratic presidential nominating conventions later
in the summer. These delegates are supposed to take their cue from the voters who cast ballots during their
states’ primaries and caucuses, though each party’s rules make it possible for multiple rounds of balloting
and significant horse trading if no candidate is able to muster a majority on the first ballot. In recent years,
this has not happened. Since 1976, in fact, no major party convention has opened with the identity of the
nominee in question.
So, what is a delegate?
Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their states at their party conventions prior to a presidential
election. The rules for selecting delegates, which are dictated by the parties, vary not only by party, but by
state, and sometimes by congressional district. A party might grant additional delegates as a reward if a state
has a recent history of supporting that party, for example. In other cases, delegates might simply be allocated
to a state based on the percentage of votes that state is granted in the Electoral College.
At both conventions, delegates must cast their vote in favor of one candidate. If no clear majority is reached,
they must continue voting until they do.
And what is a superdelegate?
The Democratic Party has superdelegates, which include elected officials, like members of Congress, and
party officials. At the Democratic convention, superdelegates account for twenty percent (20%) of overall
delegates and are not committed to any one candidate. In other words, they can throw their support to
whomever they want at the convention.
The Democratic nomination process was altered to include superdelegates in 1984. That year, former Vice
President Walter Mondale won the Democratic nomination with strong support from party stalwarts. Some
experts say Democratic candidate George McGovern’s landslide 1972 loss to Richard Nixon influenced the
party’s introduction of superdelegates.
How does the Republican Party pick delegates?
Overall, 2,348 delegates (Newsweek) will attend the Republican National Convention in Minnesota in
September. All will have already pledged to whichever candidate won their state. To win the nomination, a
candidate must win the votes of at least 1,191 delegates at the convention. The Republican Party rules for
selecting those delegates vary from state to state. In some states, a portion of delegates is allotted to each
congressional district, while in others, the entire state is allowed a certain number of delegates. Each state
chooses six “at-large” delegates and three additional “district delegates” for each Representative that state
has in the House. Each state can also earn bonus delegates if a Republican candidate won that state in the
last presidential election, or if the state elected Republicans to Congress, the governorship, or state
legislative majorities. A state can also gain bonus delegates if its primary election is scheduled after March
15.
How does the Democratic Party pick delegates?
Eighty percent (80%) of the 4,050 Democratic Party delegates will arrive at the convention having already
been pledged to a specific candidate during the primaries and caucuses. The number of delegates needed
to win the Democratic nomination is 2,025. Any Democratic candidate receiving at least fifteen percent (15%)
of the vote in a given primary or caucus is entitled to a proportional number of delegates from that state.
What is the role of independents?
Because independent voters are unaffiliated with any party, they do not as a group receive delegates or hold
their own national nominating convention or meeting. However, more than half of the states holding primaries
Super Tuesday allow participation from voters unaffiliated with any party. Some states allow voters to switch
their party affiliation the day before an election, so that independents can choose to register as a Republican
or Democrat if they support a specific candidate.
What is a brokered convention?
For many years, party primaries and caucuses have produced the successful nominees and conventions
served to formally anoint the presidential candidates on the first ballot. But in the event of a competitive
primary process, delegates at a convention could have more difficulty in reaching a clear majority of support
for any one candidate. A brokering process then takes place, with multiple ballots a possibility. Though a
brokered convention has not occurred in either party since 1952 when Adlai Stevenson won the Democratic
nomination, some say it remains a possibility for either party in 2008 because of the closeness of both races.
Excerpts from The Role of Delegates in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process
Author: Joanna Klonsky, Campaign 2008 Staff
| What's the Delegate Process Anyway? |
 |
 |