Legislative Matters
Delegates are the key to winning primary nomination
As the presidential election nears, political campaigns have become a main focus in the news. We are currently in the midst of the state primary elections, which run from the months of January to June before the November election. When the primary season is over, there will be two months before the Democrat National Convention where delegates will select their nominee.
Both Republicans and Democrats use a delegate system to select a single presidential nominee. Voters in New Jersey chose these delegates on “Super Tuesday” which occurred on Feb. 5 where voters awarded 52 delegates to the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, and 107 delegates to be divided among the two Democratic Primary nominees, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. These delegates are authorized by each party to attend the national conventions where they will cast votes for the presidential candidates.
In order for a candidate to win a nomination from their party, they must receive the support of the delegates from their party who express the will of the voters. The contender that wins the most delegates nationwide is nominated as the party candidate. Therefore, the winning candidate is officially nominated at the party’s national convention. This year’s Republican National Convention will take place in Minneapolis in September and the Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver in August.
Convention delegates have different titles, responsibilities, and privileges which vary for each party. The two types of Republican representatives are pledged and unpledged delegates. There are a total of 1,917 pledged delegates who are selected on a state and local level to support the candidate at the national convention. There are 463 unpledged delegates who differ in that they are not required to pledge their support. Some unpledged delegates, known as Republican National Committee [RNC] member delegates, are automatically appointed due to their status as a party chair or a member of a national committee.
Furthermore, pledged delegates are awarded to a Republican nominee by state parties. Most states use a popular vote system resulting in one winner. However, unpledged RNC member delegates are free to vote for whoever they would like, but most are likely to be committed to a specific candidate.
The Democratic Party has pledged and super delegates. There are 3,253 pledged delegates who are also elected on a state and local level to support the candidate at the national convention. There are 794 super delegates who are Democratic members of Congress, state governors, national committee members, and even party leaders including former presidents and vice presidents. There is no official process for selecting super delegates because they are not required to commit to a specific candidate.
The percentage of the popular vote determines how many pledged delegates are awarded to each candidate. Whatever percentage of votes a candidate wins in the state primary equals the percentage of state delegates they receive. However, they must receive at least 15 percent of the vote to be qualified for any pledged delegates. There is no official process for appointing super delegates because they can vote for whomever they prefer, but candidates usually do aim to gain their support.
Regardless of your party affiliation, the next few months will be very exciting. The nationwide primaries and caucuses will help determine which Democratic candidate will challenge John McCain on Nov. 2. The primary process is very important because it is the first step in the presidential election process which will affect the course of our nation for the next four years. Be sure to get involved in this presidential campaign by watching the news, following up with the primary results, and exercising your right to vote this November.
[Sean Kean, Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini maintain an office on 1955 Route 34, Building 2A, Wall Township. Their office may be contacted at 732-974-0400.]
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