Each state sends the following number delegates to the convention
6 delegates for each Senator the state has in the Senate
The winner of these delegates is based on the proportion of votes won within the state by each candidate (pool)
2 delegates for each Representative the state has in the House
The winner of these delegates is based on the proportion of votes won within the state by each candidate (pool)
1 delegate for each Representative the state has in the House
The winner of these delegates is the winner of the popular vote, first-past-the-post, in each congressional district
All delegates based on state-wide voting are pooled into a single pool prior to distribution to candidates.
EXAMPLE:
California has 53 house members, and 2 Senators. As such, it would send a grand total of 171 delegates. Of these 53 are based on First Past The Post methods (FPTP) in each district. This is the minimum baseline.
Each state also sends the number delegates to the convention based on the share of the vote the party received in the state in the last presidential election.
This number is equal to the number of delegates each state is assigned, based on the above section
This is then multiplied by the share of the popular vote from the last election that the party received, rounded up to the nearest whole number.
All of these delegates are added to the pool for proportional distribution.
EXAMPLE:
California's minimum baseline is 171. In the 2012 election, the Democrats took 60.238% of the vote. 60.238% of 171 is 103.01, which gets rounded to 104. As such, in the final tally, Democrats would send 275 delegates from California to the convention; of these 53 are elected based on FPTP, and the remaining 222 are elected based on proportional vote distribution.
EXAMPLE:
California's minimum baseline is 171. In the 2012 election, the Republicans took 37.12% of the vote. 37.12% of 171 is 63.5, which gets rounded to 64. As such, in the final tally, Democrats would send 275 delegates from California to the convention; of these 53 are elected based on FPTP, and the remaining 182 are elected based on proportional vote distribution.
EXAMPLE:
Wyoming's minimum baseline is 15. In the 2012 election, the Republicans took 68.64% of the vote. 68.64% of 15 is 10.3, which gets rounded to 11. As such, in the final tally, Republicans would send 26 delegates from Wyoming to the convention; of these 1 is elected based on FPTP, and the remaining 25 are elected based on proportional vote distribution.
(Normally, the share of vote will be between 75% and 20% for each state. As such, each state can be expected to send at least 20% more delegates above the baseline)
Organized Territories and Federal Districts also send delegates.
Each "large territory" receives 16 delegates
A "large territory" is one that has at least 50% of the population of the least populace state
A "large territory" may be either an organized territory or a federal district.
Each "small territory" receives 8 delegates
A "small territory" is any organized territory or federal district that is not a "large territory"
"small territories" and "large territories" are also known as "territories" for the purposes of this document.
EXAMPLE:
The least populace state is Wyoming, at near 500,000 people. Both D.C. and Puerto Rico have over 250,000 people, and are considered "large territories"
Each territory will also receive a number of delegates equal to the following:
The number of delegates equal to the state that has the most similar, but not smaller, population has, for each representative in the house.
This is a minimum of 3, and may be much larger.
All of these delegates are added to a pool
The winner of these delegates is based on the proportion of votes won within the territory by each candidate
EXAMPLE:
Puerto Rico, at the last official census, was recorded as having 3.72 million persons. The nearest state to it, in population, but with a greater population (not a smaller population) is Oklahoma. Oklahoma had 5 Representatives. It's baseline sends 15 delegates to the convention based on these 5 delegates. As such, Puerto Rico is assigned 15 additional delegates based on this method. As such, the territory would send a total of 31 delegates. This is compared to Oklahoma which only sends 27. However, Oklahoma may gain more delegates due to the popular vote in the last presidential election.
All of the above delegates are pledged to the candidate who won their selection to the convention.
They must vote for that candidate on the first ballot.
All of the below delegates are unpledged and free to vote any way on any ballot.
Each state and territory sends the following unpledged delegates to the convention
All party members who are
Federal Senators
Federal Representatives
(There will never be more than 535 of these, and will likely be around 200-300 of these)
As well the following party members are are also sent to the convention as unpledged delegates
All current Presidents and Vice Presidents
All former Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates nominated by the convention
All former Federal House or Senate Whips, Leaders, or Speakers
All current and former Party Chairpersons
These may also be known as "Superdelegates"
This should result in a convention containing between 2,000 and 4,000 delegates, averaging closer to 2500 when the party is fully out of office (holds neither congressional house, nor the presidency) to 3500 when the party is fully in office
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