It’s another Sunday, so for those who tune in, welcome to a diary discussing the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic Campaign. If you’ve missed out, you can catch up anytime: Just visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide. Every week I try to tackle issues I’ve been asked about, and with the help of other campaign workers and notes, we tackle subjects about how to improve and build better campaigns.
Over the last few weeks one question that has come up regards how delegates are given to states, how they are assigned from the state to a candidate, and the rules that govern them at the convention. This issue has been particularly contentious this week. When I announced this topic last week after being asked several times, I thought it would be an easy one. With Iowa & New Hampshire behind us, there has been a lot of push to, well, confuse how the process actually works.
Ready to see how delegates are given, assigned, and what their role is at a convention? Let’s go!
Total number of delegates
There are 4,750 delegates: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegates. Automatic delegates who used to be “superdelegates” are simply unpledged delegates who no longer have a first-round vote unless a candidate is certain of clinching the ballot on the first round, so they can vote in acclamation.
Unlike Republicans, no Democratic primary or caucus will ever be “winner take all.” Instead, the Democratic Party uses proportional representation to the convention based on performance per congressional district. This is designed to make sure that voters have a say in the process. It is also designed to make sure that the party allows voices to represent their district.
The decision to not do winner take all is a way to show attention to our party commitment to diversity and to make sure we do not allow voices to be minimized.
How states receive pledged delegates
What about the pledged delegates, though, how are they assigned out? How the heck do states receive their delegate number? It seems to increase comparative to population late in the cycle or there are other variables. Why?
First, let’s talk about the values of the delegates. Because early races are seen as influential on the overall nature of the race, they do not get “bonus” delegates. This is to compensate for the influence. The placement in the process can make an impact on your delegate count. So, for example, in 2016, California had 471 delegates. In 2020, they will receive 415 pledged delegates. This is because the formula for delegates assigned is based on Democratic performance in prior elections and timing.
Still, as an example, the decision of California at 415 delegates is a lot more than the delegates provided so far in our primary and caucus cycle. By March 17, 64% of total delegates will be assigned. This is what creates a mad dash right now. While there are candidates who will tell you this is a marathon, in fact, we run into a series of sprints. From this point through middle March, the collection of delegates will become fast and furious, and the narrative of the Democratic primary season gets set.
How delegates vote at the convention
Recently, there have been demands that if someone has the lion’s share of delegates going into the convention that they be compelled to turn over their delegates to the nominee. In discussions post 2016, one of the items addressed directly is that several states setup their own rules about the loyalty of delegates. On top of that, delegates can be released by their own candidate.
This was done for a couple of different reasons. The first is to make sure delegates weren’t forced to vote against their own ticket. Let’s say you are a delegate for candidate X for president. You arrive at the convention, and your candidate has agreed to be the vice presidential candidate to candidate Z. Could you be forced to vote against a ticket containing your own candidate because they were running in a different slot then you were pledged to?
Candidates themselves can release their delegates. State guidelines can bind delegates per their own state party rules, and in those you can have a notice that provides the statement of withdraw to the party chair in a state or the secretary of state in a state.
Want to know more?
Want to know more about how the delegates are assigned, vote, and what happens state by state? Feel free to ask below about your state, the delegates assigned, or any other question you have!
Next week: Have you ever wanted to be part of the DNC?