The Independent View: How Rep. Candidate Votes Become Delegates for Someone Else

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

Delegates are generally supposed to represent voters. When voters cast ballots in the Presidential Primaries and Caucuses, they are really voting for delegates. Those delegates, in turn, are the actual people who will vote on the party's nominee at the Convention. 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, and many states use two or more methods:

Candidate Handpick - Californian chose from anyone. Wisconsin choose from an approved list.

Voters Choose - Alabama delegates list candidates they support. Pennsylvania delegates do not list candidates they support. Maryland delegates list candidates they support, only if candidate approves.

Party Members Choose - Georgia uses a Convention. Kentucky approves nominations made by committees. South Carolina uses a Convention from prior delegates.

Party Leaders Choose - Kansas selects without candidates input. Tennessee selects with candidates 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 candidates 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 ballot. Then each delegate can vote for whomever they want. There are around 200 delegates that are "unbound" on the first ballot. There are 232 delegates for candidates that suspended their campaigns.

Here are some possibilities:

Candidate Delegates Less Likely to Switch - In a handful of states like California, the hand picked delegates must vote for their candidate on the first two ballots. It is more likely when they are "unbound" they will stay true to the voters' wishes.

Delegates Chosen by Party Members Could Flip - In several states like Texas, at least some delegates are elected through local Caucuses and the State Convention. In Texas, the Presidential candidates run 36 separate mini-campaigns" in the State's Congressional districts to get their support. They are "bound" for the first two ballots, but can switch on the third ballot.

Some Delegates Can Only be Released by Winning Candidate - Some states do not "unbind" delegates after a certain number of ballots. In Alabama, delegates are elected on the Primary ballot, listed next to the Presidential candidate they support. They must continue to support that candidate at the convention until two-thirds of the delegation votes to change, or until the candidate releases them. Other states, like Alaska, "unbind" delegates if their candidate drops at of the race. Florida Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to State Parties asking them to not release his 171 delegates.

Some States Don't "Bind" Their Delegates - Roughly 192 delegates, roughly 8% of all delegates will go to the Convention free to vote as they please and switch at any point in the balloting. States include: Colorado (3-37) , Louisiana (5), North Dakota (28), Oklahoma (5), Pennsylvania (54), U.S. Territories (27), West Virginia (33), Wyoming (3).

Party Leaders Are Delegates Who Could Vote for Anyone - Three Party leaders from each State: The National Committeeman, The National Committeewoman, and the State Chairman. States have different requirements for how long these delegates must remained "bound" to a candidate.

A week before the Convention is the Rules Committee meeting. The potential rule changes and delegate accreditation is another reason the nomination could come down to delegate loyalty.