hotbrownsauce
10-29-2009, 04:25 PM
UPDATED FOR CLARIFICATION
It seems some of us were under a false presumption during the Ron Paul 2008 presidential caucuses and primaries of what becoming delegates in the Republican party meant.
Notes:
*delegates are for the Republican party only and do not directly influence who becomes president nor do they cast a vote for president that is some how used lawfully. They can only choose the party nominee.
**Electors are picked differently in each state and depending on who wins the popular vote in the state in question determines which slate of electors vote for President. Electors are part of the electoral college.
Many people thought that, even though Paul lost the popular primary vote in the states, we could become part of the republican party and then become delegates that could vote for Ron Paul as president. How ever this was (is) false. Delegates that eventually go to the National convention only vote for the party nominee.
Each State has its own laws for elections. Currently each state in the union demands that each party put forth a slate of electors for their nominee and should that nominee win the popular vote in the November presidential elections those electors are forced by state law to vote according to the popular vote of the state.
Lets look at how this works:
The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of House members and Senate members. My state, Missouri, has 11, 9 House Rep's and 2 Senate Rep's. How each party in each states picks these electors can be different. Many states parties leadership picks these electors because they are members in good standing. Such as the electors might be picked if they've been part of the party for 30 years. They are not picked for the most part by you going to the Republican party and becoming a delegate, there may be exceptions. Those delegates are sent to the Republican National convention in a big ceremonious celebration that pretty much has no direct relation to picking the president. However these delegates elect the party nominee.
In the Presidential primaries when you vote you are telling the State Republican, Democrat or other party who it will nominate for their party. These votes are tallied accordingly across the country giving us the nominee of each major party. Delegates are elected and go to the state convention then a different set of a smaller number of delegates are elected to go to the National Convention to represent that state.
When November comes around we vote in the presidential race. Even though we see a name for who we are voting for, such as in last election McCain, Obama etc, we are actually voting for the electors the party leadership has already hand picked. So, if say Missouri's popular vote supported Obama we would have used the 11 electors the Democratic party picked, but instead we picked McCain and so the 11 electors from the Republican party were picked. As I said these electors are hand picked by the party leadership, not by you and I. Our vote signifies who the electors are going to be. The electors obviously will vote in accordance to state law and what the party wants because, as I said, these electors are party members in good standing and hand picked by the party. Also for clarification I'll say this again that these electors can be picked in different ways between the states.
Each electors vote is "secret" meaning when they cast their vote it doesn't have their name attached. (Kind of how our votes are secret at the voting booth.) Each state of the union forces their electors to vote in accordance to the popular vote of their state. So technically speaking you can be a faithless elector and vote for anyone you want and no one will know it was you (the State government can find out who it was if state law specifies how and why). Even so, these faithless electors usually tell on themselves. Electors can vote how they want they just get punished according to their state law, if the state knows it was you.
In summary:
1.)All individuals that run are put on their parties docket. The state voters vote for which person they want the party to nominate as their soul nominee. However before the nominee is final the delegates that are elected by the states cast their votes for who they want to be the national party's nominee at the National Convetion.
2.)State Parties pick the Electors of the Elector College according to each party's policy in the state.
3.)The Presidential Race final vote is in November. State voters specify which slate of Electors they want to vote for. These electors are expected by their parties and state laws to vote in accordance to the states popular vote.
4.)The electors can become "Faithless" electors if they don't vote according to how they are demanded.
5.)The votes in the electoral college do not say who voted for who. The votes are "secret".
6.)Delegates are different than electors.
7.)Delegates are elected when you go to your republican party. These delegates can change the republican platform at the state level and national level (eventually) and pick the party nominee for president.
8.)Delegates have no direct connection to who is president. They have strength and presence at the National Convention.
Don't get confused between delegates of a party and electors and their roles respectively. The focus of the next presidential race should still be on the Primaries because most states it would be nearly impossible to become a elector and then become a faithless elector. This is not to suggest becoming a delegate and changing the party platform and becoming involved is pointless. Being a delegate has its important roles. Just don't get confused between the two.
I hope this was helpful.
It seems some of us were under a false presumption during the Ron Paul 2008 presidential caucuses and primaries of what becoming delegates in the Republican party meant.
Notes:
*delegates are for the Republican party only and do not directly influence who becomes president nor do they cast a vote for president that is some how used lawfully. They can only choose the party nominee.
**Electors are picked differently in each state and depending on who wins the popular vote in the state in question determines which slate of electors vote for President. Electors are part of the electoral college.
Many people thought that, even though Paul lost the popular primary vote in the states, we could become part of the republican party and then become delegates that could vote for Ron Paul as president. How ever this was (is) false. Delegates that eventually go to the National convention only vote for the party nominee.
Each State has its own laws for elections. Currently each state in the union demands that each party put forth a slate of electors for their nominee and should that nominee win the popular vote in the November presidential elections those electors are forced by state law to vote according to the popular vote of the state.
Lets look at how this works:
The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of House members and Senate members. My state, Missouri, has 11, 9 House Rep's and 2 Senate Rep's. How each party in each states picks these electors can be different. Many states parties leadership picks these electors because they are members in good standing. Such as the electors might be picked if they've been part of the party for 30 years. They are not picked for the most part by you going to the Republican party and becoming a delegate, there may be exceptions. Those delegates are sent to the Republican National convention in a big ceremonious celebration that pretty much has no direct relation to picking the president. However these delegates elect the party nominee.
In the Presidential primaries when you vote you are telling the State Republican, Democrat or other party who it will nominate for their party. These votes are tallied accordingly across the country giving us the nominee of each major party. Delegates are elected and go to the state convention then a different set of a smaller number of delegates are elected to go to the National Convention to represent that state.
When November comes around we vote in the presidential race. Even though we see a name for who we are voting for, such as in last election McCain, Obama etc, we are actually voting for the electors the party leadership has already hand picked. So, if say Missouri's popular vote supported Obama we would have used the 11 electors the Democratic party picked, but instead we picked McCain and so the 11 electors from the Republican party were picked. As I said these electors are hand picked by the party leadership, not by you and I. Our vote signifies who the electors are going to be. The electors obviously will vote in accordance to state law and what the party wants because, as I said, these electors are party members in good standing and hand picked by the party. Also for clarification I'll say this again that these electors can be picked in different ways between the states.
Each electors vote is "secret" meaning when they cast their vote it doesn't have their name attached. (Kind of how our votes are secret at the voting booth.) Each state of the union forces their electors to vote in accordance to the popular vote of their state. So technically speaking you can be a faithless elector and vote for anyone you want and no one will know it was you (the State government can find out who it was if state law specifies how and why). Even so, these faithless electors usually tell on themselves. Electors can vote how they want they just get punished according to their state law, if the state knows it was you.
In summary:
1.)All individuals that run are put on their parties docket. The state voters vote for which person they want the party to nominate as their soul nominee. However before the nominee is final the delegates that are elected by the states cast their votes for who they want to be the national party's nominee at the National Convetion.
2.)State Parties pick the Electors of the Elector College according to each party's policy in the state.
3.)The Presidential Race final vote is in November. State voters specify which slate of Electors they want to vote for. These electors are expected by their parties and state laws to vote in accordance to the states popular vote.
4.)The electors can become "Faithless" electors if they don't vote according to how they are demanded.
5.)The votes in the electoral college do not say who voted for who. The votes are "secret".
6.)Delegates are different than electors.
7.)Delegates are elected when you go to your republican party. These delegates can change the republican platform at the state level and national level (eventually) and pick the party nominee for president.
8.)Delegates have no direct connection to who is president. They have strength and presence at the National Convention.
Don't get confused between delegates of a party and electors and their roles respectively. The focus of the next presidential race should still be on the Primaries because most states it would be nearly impossible to become a elector and then become a faithless elector. This is not to suggest becoming a delegate and changing the party platform and becoming involved is pointless. Being a delegate has its important roles. Just don't get confused between the two.
I hope this was helpful.