I’m from PA too, and a Trump supporter who wants his vote to count on April 26. I’m surprised to learn how much I don’t know about the delegate selection process in my state and elsewhere even though I’ve already voted in 10 PA presidential primaries in my life!
I know there are 71 delegates and that 54 are unbound. I understand what ‘unbound’ means and that there are 3 per district, but I don’t know the following:
In past presidential primaries I recall simply voting for my candidate. When I pulled the lever, was I really voting for three delegates from my district at the same time, that were preselected on the ballot, without realizing it? Are there a bunch to choose from and I can choose 3 from among them?
Even though they will be unbound, do they at least verbally declare who they plan to vote for? If I contact the local Republican committee person, is he supposed to furnish me with information regarding which delegates may be informally pledged to a certain candidate?
Will the delegates’ votes at the convention become public information so they can be held accountable for how they vote?
Sorry about all the questions. I’ve been hearing about certain campaigns having a better ‘ground game’, or built in support from the party establishment, and picking up more delegates even though they lost the primary. I just want my vote to count, and if Trump wins in PA or in my district, I want him to get the delegates fair and square, rather than another candidate who is better at gaming the system.
Thanks!!
Many of the local GOPe elected officials, operatives etc. are telling the media they will support ‘whoever wins their district’ with lots of qualifiers and but’s squeezed in afterwards.
In my district, the 4th, one candidate told the media flat out he supports Trump and was recruited by the Trump campaign as a delegate candidate.
I was contacted about being a Cruz delegate running in this system.
THERE IS A SEPARATE ELECTION IN EACH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WHERE YOU GET TO PICK UP TO THREE NAMES.
This separate delegate election system has served the GOPe of PA well over the years with local elected officials of the GOPe winning races by name recognition alone.
The Republican Pennsylvania delegates end up being a bulwark against conservative or outsider candidates.
This system meant 90 percent of the delegates ending up supporting Gerald Ford over Ronald Reagan in 1976 even after Reagan picked Richard Schweiker, a Pennsylvania US Senator, as his running mate ahead of the final vote.