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To: markomalley

I think the American public should know the rules concerning the delegates and how they can vote one way but are able to change their minds and switch to the person not receiving the majority votes. Does anyone have that bit of
information.
I understand Donald Trump just “won” NY, but cruz is in PA working to gather delegates for himself, is it voted by the citizens of PA, or appointed by the DC republican “leaders”. What can Trump do, should cruz win PA, can Trump’s people, go into PA and change the delegate votes from cruz to Trump?
Wherever Trump has won the majority of votes and delegates, cruz has his people in that area taking away delegate votes from Trump to cruz. I would like to know how. Is it by states or America Wide? I just leaned that SUPER DELEGATES are picked who gave the most money to the “cauz” or were appointed by the republican party of each state and those party elites. Am I reading this right?


103 posted on 04/19/2016 6:58:20 PM PDT by tillacum
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To: tillacum
I think the American public should know the rules concerning the delegates and how they can vote one way but are able to change their minds and switch to the person not receiving the majority votes. Does anyone have that bit of information.

Generally "bound" delegates are bound for the first vote at the convention. After the first vote, they are free to change to whomever they want.

I understand Donald Trump just “won” NY, but cruz is in PA working to gather delegates for himself, is it voted by the citizens of PA, or appointed by the DC republican “leaders”. What can Trump do, should cruz win PA, can Trump’s people, go into PA and change the delegate votes from cruz to Trump?

Rule 8.4 of the Pennsylvania GOP bylaws (link) state that the delegates are unbound. So each campaign can attempt to woo delegates.

Wherever Trump has won the majority of votes and delegates, cruz has his people in that area taking away delegate votes from Trump to cruz. I would like to know how. Is it by states or America Wide? I just leaned that SUPER DELEGATES are picked who gave the most money to the “cauz” or were appointed by the republican party of each state and those party elites. Am I reading this right?

Each state's party has its own rules, but there are a couple of things you can look at:

  1. When you think you're voting for President in a primary, you aren't. You are actually either voting in a straw poll or are voting for a delegate. In those states where you are ONLY voting in a straw poll, the delegates are selected by the party. Even in this situation, in most states those delegates are bound to respect the outcome of the straw poll on the first ballot at the convention but are free to do as they wish otherwise.
  2. On the other hand, in some states (like where I live Maryland), you vote for a delegate directly...Some of the candidates for delegate are endorsed by a campaign and some of them aren't. Even when a delegate is endorsed by a campaign, they are still bound on the first vote by the results of the straw poll. But on the second and subsequent votes, they can vote how they wish.

I think what you're seeing the Cruz ground game do is to influence who gets picked to be delegates to the national convention. They will be bound on the first ballot to vote as their state voted, but afterwards, they can switch their vote.

What would prevent the Trump camp from staying engaged in these states to make sure that they have delegates friendly to them selected to go to the national convention?

Messed up system, I realize, but the only way to fix it is to change the rules in each state party's bylaws to have voters pick the delegates at primary/caucus time.

159 posted on 04/19/2016 7:45:28 PM PDT by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good -- Leo XIII)
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To: tillacum

In PA the winner of the primary gets 17 bound delegates. I think they’re only bound on the first ballot. The remaining 54 are elected on primary night but there is no indication on the ballot to whom they are bound. Each candidate needs a ground game in PA in every district and to some extent in every precinct if possible. They need to recruit delegate candidates who would vote for their candidate and then let the voters know on election day who those candidates are. It’s a very intense process.


232 posted on 04/20/2016 6:23:15 AM PDT by pgkdan (The Silent Majority Stands With TRUMP!)
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