Delegate Question

[Jwaksman]

I think a lot of us non-Louisiana residents are not completely sure about the final delegate selection process, so let me try to help us get to the answer. Here are the facts that I know:


Assuming nobody gets 50%+ on 2/9, 44 of the 47 delegates from the state will come from the state caucus and all will be "uncommitted".

There are 7 congressional districts, each of which is electing 15 delegates and 15 alternates today.


Now my questions:

Do the 44 delegates to the national convention come from the 105 delegates who were elected to the state convention?

Do the 105 alternates get any say at the state convention, or only if one of the regular delegates can't make it?

Does anyone else get a vote on the national delegates at the state convention other than the 105 selected today?




If someone can answer those three questions, I think all of us would be a lot more enlightened.

[justaguy]

Great questions, I would like an answer for them as well.

-Chris

[Yom]

The 21 delegates to be picked from the ones elected today are the ones who decide who the 20 other ones are, AFAIK, but I don't know who they pick from.

[JustBcuz]

Let's let the folks in LA win their caucus, and we can get all the answers we want tomorrow after they wake up and shake off their celebratory hangovers. :)

[Jwaksman]

The 21 delegates to be picked from the ones elected today are the ones who decide who the 20 other ones are, AFAIK, but I don't know who they pick from.




So the 105 delegates picked today will vote for 21 among themselves... and then those 21 will select another 20 from.... some other group of people??



Doesn't sound right. Let's just keep this thread high up in the forum so that the Louisiana grassroots can answer these when they get back.

[FluffyUnbound]

I found this at another site.

Tonight, each district picks 15 + 15 alternates. Each 15 select 3 out of themselves to be delegates. Those are NATIONAL CONVENTION delegates, right off the bat. 21 national convention delegates identified as of tonight.

Then at the state convention, the 15 from all the districts get together and vote for 20 more. Those are also national convention delegates.

If anyone gets 50% + in the primary, the 20 from the convention have to vote for that candidate.


The January 22 Louisiana caucuses select delegates to the state convention on February 16 in Baton Rouge. On January 22, 15 delegates and 15 alternates for each congressional district will be elected at the caucus sites by all registered Republicans in attendance. Participants are required to have been registered Republican by November 30, 2007 and present a photo identification for admittance. Voters will select up to 15 candidates on a secret ballot.[2]

Twenty-one delegates to the 2008 RNC will essentially be selected by the caucus process, since these 15 congressional district delegates will then select three delegates and three alternates to the national convention. In addition, the state convention delegates, as a whole, will select 20 delegates and 20 alternates to the national convention as at-large delegates. Under state party rules, if there is a majority in the February 9 Louisiana primary, these 20 delegates are pledged to vote for the winner. Otherwise, these 20 will officially go to the convention uncommitted. Three delegates have already been committed to the Louisiana GOP chair and the two Louisiana representatives on the RNC (”party delegates”), and the other three delegates will be selected by the executive committee of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee. [3]

Unlike other Republican caucuses, which feature a straw poll (or presidential preference election) prior to the election of delegates to the state convention, no preference election will be conducted. All delegates elected at the caucus are “uncommitted” and considered unallocated to any candidate. [4] However, many campaigns will distribute lists of delegates who will vote for their preferred presidential candidate. Delegates can be any Republican who has submitted the necessary paperwork and paid the $100 fee ($50 for alternate delegate)[5] By setting up the caucus this way, it allows Louisiana to avoid the delegate penalties that have befallen Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.[6]

[FluffyUnbound]

So the 105 delegates picked today will vote for 21 among themselves... and then those 21 will select another 20 from.... some other group of people??



Doesn't sound right. Let's just keep this thread high up in the forum so that the Louisiana grassroots can answer these when they get back.

I think what happens is that in each congressional district, the 15 delegates pick 3 of themselves to be the delegates. Then, at the convention, all 7 groups of 15 come together into one big group to vote for 20 more of themselves to be delegates.

Basically, if you have a majority of delegates in a congressional district, you get 3 delegates. As many districts as you win, you get the delegates. Then, at the convention, if you have a majority of the 105 delegates, you get 20 more.

[Jwaksman]

Of the 20 that are selected at the state convention, what group do they come from? Do they come from the remaining 84 delegates?

[FluffyUnbound]

Of the 20 that are selected at the state convention, what group do they come from? Do they come from the remaining 84 delegates?

Yes.

[libertythor]

On the day of any caucus or primary, that forum should be moved into the main list. IMO

[hawkeyenick]

This is why the average american doesn't usually get involved with the delegate process, or even the primary/caucus situation in general

Good rittance :)

[Melissa]

On the day of any caucus or primary, that forum should be moved into the main list. IMO

I put my updates there but somone yelled in that thread then I got moved

[ronpaulwinna]

So basically if we win pretty much every congressional district, thank goodness each district has one central location for voting, then we will have a majority of the delegates that comes from the state. We will be ahead in delegate count, ahead of McCain just by tonights version of the events.
Oh, now that what i am talking about media blackouts - if the media was focused on Louisiana then we would have been in trouble. We will have 21 LA delegates + 6 (4 from NV (possibly more with the same voting schemes we have done) and 2 from IA) = 27, i'm so excited already. Then Maine, we are smoking this thing by February 5th.

[JustBcuz]

So basically if we win pretty much every congressional district, thank goodness each district has one central location for voting, then we will have a majority of the delegates that comes from the state. We will be ahead in delegate count, ahead of McCain just by tonights version of the events.
Oh, now that what i am talking about media blackouts - if the media was focused on Louisiana then we would have been in trouble. We will have 21 LA delegates + 6 (4 from NV (possibly more with the same voting schemes we have done) and 2 from IA) = 27, i'm so excited already. Then Maine, we are smoking this thing by February 5th.

If we win all 7 Congressional Districts we will not just have the 21 delegate from tonight, but we will have an overwhelming majority at the State Convention. The State Convention is where the other 20 delegates come from.

If Romney or Huck were to actually pull 50% in the straw poll, the 20 at-large delegates would have to vote for the winner (legally), but they would all be Ron Paul supporters. In a brokered convention, after the bind is lifted, they could switch to Ron Paul.

[hueylong]

It's not the "winning of the congressional districts". It's who gets elected to be delegates.

Are they fairly well known Republican types aligned with Mc, Mitt, etc? Or the normal folk who are committed to Dr. Paul.

Folks have to vote for 15 delegates (the delegates from their district). The top 15 vote getters among the delegates get to go to the State convention to pick delegates to the national convention.

[Crickett]

I see about 65 delegates up for vote in district 7..65 is a lot! Hmmm..goood luck in the voting..

[Ninja Homer]

Our political system is so screwed up! Why is every state different? Can't they just figure out what the best way to do it is, and make it the same for every state?

[Jwaksman]

Our political system is so screwed up! Why is every state different? Can't they just figure out what the best way to do it is, and make it the same for every state?



No, the constitution does not allow the federal government to tell the states how to run their elections. Each state is free to do it however they want.