Who assigns number of delegates per State?

[runamuck]

OK - this might be a dumb question but I'd like to know.

Who actually assigns the number of delegates a State gets? And, if you tell me it's the party - what is to stop them from deciding at a whim to change their mind about how many delegates a state should have?

[MelissaWV]

OK - this might be a dumb question but I'd like to know.

Who actually assigns the number of delegates a State gets? And, if you tell me it's the party - what is to stop them from deciding at a whim to change their mind about how many delegates a state should have?

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/R-Alloc.phtml

It is decided by the party, however the states do keep them in check. There is too much money invested for the number of delegates to suddenly change ex post facto.

[hueylong]

The party allocates delegates based on population and voter registration in accordance with party rules. Bonus are also awarded to states based on factors such as whether they have a governor of a certain party, voted for a certain party in the presidential election and whether a certain party has a majority in one or both houses of the legislature.

The number of delegates can change, but not on a whim.