How Votes For Trump Could
Become Delegates for Someone Else

By LARRY BUCHANAN and ALICIA PARLAPIANOAPRIL 1, 2016

The rules for how Republican delegates are selected — which differ in
every state — could end up turning votes for one candidate into delegates
who will support another candidate at the convention. Related Article

Delegates are generally
supposed to represent voters.


When voters cast ballots in the presidential primaries, they are really voting for delegates.


Those delegates, in turn, are the actual people who will vote on the
party’s nominee at the summer convention.



But delegates might not personally
support the candidate that voters picked.


In a few states, candidates pick their delegates outright, but in most cases
they have less control. Many delegates are elected by party members at
local and state conventions. The candidates often conduct parallel
campaigns to get their supporters named as delegates.

Here are examples of the variety of methods for selecting delegates used in
different states. In fact, many states use two or more methods.



Candidates handpick
California: Choose from anyone
Wisconsin: Choose from approved list


Voters choose
Maryland: Delegates list candidate they support, only if candidate approves
Alabama: Delegates list candidate they support
Pennsylvania: Delegates do not list candidate they support

Party members choose
Georgia: Through conventions
South Carolina: Through conventions, from prior delegates
Kentucky: Approve nominations made by committees

Party leaders choose
Tennessee: With candidate input
Kansas: Without candidate input
The outcome of the convention
could come down to whom
the delegates personally favor.


When they get to the convention, most delegates are “bound” to vote for
the candidate voters have chosen in their state or district. But if no
candidate gets the 1,237 delegates needed to win, subsequent votes will
be held until someone does.

This is where the loyalty of each of the 2,472 delegates really matters.
Most states “unbind” their delegates after the first or second vote. Then
each delegate can vote for whomever they want. Some possibilities:

Delegates Selected by Candidates
May Be Less Likely to Switch Sides


A Trump delegate from California ...

Continue Reading: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/01/us/politics/how-votes-for-trump-could-become-delegates-for-someone-else.html?_r=0