Democratic National Convention 101

[Pacifist Patriot]

DELEGATES

People who vote at the convention to decide the nomination.


PLEDGED DELEGATES

Results of primaries and caucuses determine the number of pledged delegates for each candidate.

Not legally bound to vote for the candidate they represent.

May be removed by a candidate who has concerns the delegate may be disloyal.

Delegates from the 50 U.S. States, DC and Puerto Rico have one vote each.

Some delegates from Amer. Samoa, VI, Guam and Dems Abroad half a half vote each.

Delegates from 50 states are allocated based on the propotion of votes each state gave to the Dem candidate in the last three presidential elections and the percentageg of votes each state has in the U.S. Electoral College.

Delegates from DC, PR, AS, VI, Guam and Dems Abroad have fixed numbers as set under the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

3,253 pledged delegate votes


UNPLEDGED DELEGATES aka SUPERDELEGATES

Presently 793 unpledged delegates free to vote for any candidate at the convention.

Number of superdelegates can change right up to the start of the DNC. Deaths, elections, and such can change the number.

Exact number will not be known until the convention begins.

Superdelegate’s vote has equal weight to a pledged delegate’s vote.

Members of the US House, US Senate, state and territorial governors, members of the DNC, distinguished party leaders and others as selected by the state parties.

Officially uncommitted but may endorse at any time.


BROKERED CONVENTION

If no candidate receives a recognizable majority of delegates the convention begins without a nominee-apparent.

Negotiations among party leaders and candidates may occur.

Both pledged delegates and superdelegagtes may switch their support at any time.

Series of floor votes is held until one candidate receives a majority.

Last brokered convention was over 50 years ago. A Republican was elected president.


DNC Regulations of the Rules & Bylaws Committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention

http://s3.amazonaws.com/apache.3cdn.net/e824f455b24c7782dc_jjm6ib44l.pdf

[DemVet]

1. While I was aware of most of this info....

...I think it's great that you put it up. :)

[Pacifist Patriot]

2. I've been noticing some confusion as to exactly what a pledged delegate could or could not do.

I figured it was worth a handy cheat sheet. I learned something too. I didn't realize the number of superdelegates could change so fluidly and at the eleventh hour.

[TheDoorbellRang]

6. I'm glad you had this bit about the pledged delegates

First this:

Not legally bound to vote for the candidate they represent.

There was a thread yesterday where a poster said that as a pledged delegate they were switching their vote from Clinton to Obama. Although I'm for Obama, this made me very nervous, as I could only foresee lots of chaos as a result -- even moreso than we have now.

Then you posted this, too:

May be removed by a candidate who has concerns the delegate may be disloyal.

This was reassuring. Hopefully we won't see a flurry of PD's whipping back and forth in their allegiance. It's bad enough that the super D's are able to do that, IMO.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. In terms of the pledged delegates I think switching prior to the convention is...

unethical even if it is perfectly within the rules. I can understand changing the vote at a brokered convention after the first round of voting, but the delegates first vote should be for whom they are pledged. If they cannot do that in good conscience they should step aside for an alternate who can. But that's just my opinion.

[DemVet]

11. Its very unlikely that any pledged delegate will change their vote...

...until after the first round of voting, if additional votes are indeed necessary. It is legal for them to do so, however.

[MaineDem]

13. Pledged delegates sign a statement of support for their candidate

As you said, it's not a legal requirement that they actually vote for their candidate but there's an ethical pledge to do so. I don't think I'd want someone I voted for as a candidate for National Delegate be pledged to "our" candidate and then change his or her mind in Denver. I think that would be political suicide back here at home.

Unless, of course, a candidate has backed out before the convention.

[Pacifist Patriot]

15. This was specifically in response to the pledged delegate who posted..

yesterday she was switching her vote. She can be replaced and I think she should be.

[MaineDem]

17. There's a time limit on when the campaign can replace a delegate

It depends on the state.

I know in Maine they can remove people from the ballot but not a delegate once he or she has been elected.

[JayFredMuggs]

18. She said she's switching to Obama, and the state she is from was one Obama won, so you

think Hillary will replace her?

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. Not a clue. Just posting what my reaction to the announcement was.

Neither Obama nor Clinton were my first choice so I have very little interest in the details. I reacted as a matter of ethics and fairness. Didn't matter to me who won what where. I don't care which candidate she was pledged for or from what state. An announcement to outright violate a signed pledge just struck me as unethical.

From my perspective, one or the other will be the nominee and I will vote for him or her over McCain come November. The anti-Hillary / anti-Obama crap is just wearisome and counterproductive. It seems like a whole lot of nuisance to get us to November at this point.

[mmonk]

10. The reasoning is that under a brokered convention, in may become necessary

for a delegate to switch to give someone the nomination.

[Pacifist Patriot]

16. I would think that in a brokered convention it would certainly become necessary.

[onehandle]

3. A brokered convention negates all votes and caucuses from the primary.

At that point, the party selects the nominee.

[H2O Man]

4. Very good.

Let's hope that as many democrats as possible travel to the convention, to encourage the party leaders to honor the will of the people!

[Pacifist Patriot]

5. I think the problem comes about when there is no clear will of the people.

[H2O Man]

8. In theory

it could. But this year, one candidate has has won more primaries and caucuses, more delegates, and more of the popular vote.

[DemVet]

12. What is the will of the people?

The current leader in the delegate count?

The current leader in the popular vote?

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. Good question and in my case moot.

The will of the people in my state will not be considered and the candidate I wanted (make that three candidates I preferred) dropped out after a handful of primaries and caucuses. I will always wonder what the will of the people would truly be if a primary were held on a single day with all candidates still viable.

[JayFredMuggs]

19. That would be one in the same....Obama eom

[H2O Man]

20. Right.

I had assumed we were all discussing the 2008 democratic convention.

[UALRBSofL]

22. Yes, we are trying to establish a caravan to the convention from Florida

to Denver. Anyone interested can give the FDP a call and get the details. Anyone interested, we will meet in Tallahassee and go as a group from there. Anyway, I'm much more interested in going this year to give support to Senator Clinton.

[madfloridian]

9. Pledged delegates CAN switch, but they seldom if ever do.

But then Hillary can do anything. Superwoman.