WINSTON/MARION - When Winston and Marion County voters go to the polls Tuesday, March 3, they are going to be confronted with - depending on the party ballot they choose - a list of decisions to make regarding persons who are not running for a political office, but another important political function.
A primary election is not just used to choose the candidate a majority of voters in each state prefers to serve as a political party’s nominee for president, but also to elect the delegates who will represent the state during the party’s national convention, where the party will formally confirm its candidates for president and vice president.
On both the Republican and Democratic ballots in the March 3, Primary elections, voters will see a list of choices for delegates to each party’s respective 2020 National Convention. Some of the names may be familiar, while many may not. The following is an explanation of the primary process and the importance of delegates to the political system.
Republican Party rules for choosing delegates
The Republican Party’s presidential nominee is chosen primarily by pledged delegates who are chosen during primary elections or caucuses. A pledged delegate is someone who pledges his or herself to vote to nominate a particular candidate during the party’s national nominating convention.
Two nominees - Donald Trump and Bill Weld - qualified to have their names on Alabama’s Republican Primary ballot. Voters will also have the choice to mark that they are uncommitted to either candidate.
After choosing the nominee for president, voters will then have to choose delegates for their preferred presidential candidate. Voters must vote only for delegates pledged for the presidential candidate they have chosen. On this year’s Republican Primary ballot, the majority of the persons running to serve as pledged delegates are pledging themselves to Trump.
According to the rules of the Republican Party determined during the party’s 2016 National Convention, the number of pledged delegates initially given to each state includes 10 at-large delegates, plus three district delegates for each of the state’s congressional districts. Alabama currently has seven congressional districts. Three leaders of each state are also automatically nominated as pledged delegates to the national convention.
The Republican Party also awards bonus pledged delegates, according to rules the national party adopted in 2016. Four-and-a-half at-large delegates are awarded to states that cast at least a majority of their Electoral College votes for the Republican nominee during the 2016 election, plus a number of delegates at-large equal to 60 percent of the state’s electoral votes. Alabama has nine electoral votes. This number of bonus delegates is rounded upward.
Alabama also receives additional at-large delegates for having a Republican governor, Republican majorities in both houses of the state legislature, having a Republican U.S. Senator and having at least one-half of its U.S. House of Representatives’ delegation being Republican. Therefore, the total number of delegates Winston County voters will have to choose between on the Republican Party ballot Tuesday are 26 statewide delegate places, and three places for the 4th Congressional District for a total of 29 delegates.
Democratic Party rules for choosing delegates
For voters who choose a Democratic Primary ballot, voters will choose between 14 candidates or choose uncommitted. Voters will then choose among the delegates who have pledged themselves to the candidate. Unlike the Republican ballot, where voters can only choose one delegate per place listed, voters on the Democratic ballot can choose up to three delegates for the candidate they choose as their presidential nominee.
According to Ballotpedia, the Democratic nominee for president will be chosen by 4,750 delegates - 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 superdelegates. Pledged delegates are elected during primaries, caucuses or party conventions. Superdelegates include members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors or distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. They are free to support any presidential candidate they choose. Alabama will have a total of 61 delegates at the Democratic National Convention.
To win the nomination, a presidential candidate must receive support from at least 1,991 pledged delegates on the first ballot at the national convention. If no candidate receives that many pledged candidate votes on the first ballot, the superdelegates will have the opportunity to vote on a second ballot. At this point, a candidate must receive majority support from all delegates, which is more than 2,375 votes.
Party qualifying rules for delegates
Alabama Republican candidates for delegates had to submit a $150 qualifying fee and complete a qualifying form with the Alabama Republican Party by Nov. 8, 2019, to appear on Tuesday’s ballot. The winners for each delegate spot will be required to attend the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Aug. 24-27, and will be responsible for paying their transportation costs to and from Charlotte, paying for their own lodging and paying a $250 activity fee.
Persons qualifying to run as delegates on the Democratic Primary ballot paid a $50 qualifying fee, as well as completed the delegate qualifying form. The Democratic National Convention will take place July 13-16 in Milwaukee, Wisc.
See complete story in the Northwest Alabamian.
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