An Informational Guide to the 2016 Presidential Election ... Informational Guide to the 2016...

An Informational Guide to the 2016 Presidential Election Process

Nick Kachiroubas

(Photo Courtesy of the White House Press Office)

Copyright 2015. DePaul University, School of Public Service, Chicago, IllinoisAll rights reserved. Updated January, 2016.

Copy Editing: Daniel I. Dorfman

DePaul University School of Public Service14 E. Jackson Blvd., Suite 1600Chicago, Illinois 60604Phone: 312-362-8441Fax: 312-362-5506Email: [email protected]: http://las.depaul.edu/sps

http://las.depaul.edu/sps

Table of Contents

Section I: Primary Season............................................................... Pg. 4

Primary Election or Primary Caucus................................................. Pg. 6

Primary Caucus & Election Dates..................................................... Pg. 7

Delegate Allocation Processes........................................................... Pg. 8

Democratic National Convention Delegate Allocation..................... Pg. 8

Republican National Convention Delegate Allocation..................... Pg. 10

Section II: National Nominating Conventions.............................. Pg. 11

Committed Delegates After Candidate Withdrawal.......................... Pg. 12

Brokered Convention........................................................................ Pg. 12 Convention Business.........................................................................Pg. 12

Section III: General Election.......................................................... Pg. 13

The Electoral College & Presidential Electors.................................. Pg. 13

Winner Take All Provision................................................................ Pg. 14 Congressional District Allocation Provision..................................... Pg. 14

How the Electoral College Impacts the Presidential Campaign........ Pg. 15

The Actual Presidential Election Process.......................................... Pg. 15

Resources For Additional Information & Key Dates........................ Pg. 16

Appendix 1: 2016 Primary Caucus & Election Dates....................... Pg. 17

Appendix 2: DNC Delegate Allocation..............................................Pg. 19 Appendix 3: RNC Delegate Allocation..............................................Pg. 21

Appendix 4: 2016 Electoral Vote Allocation..................................... Pg. 23

An Informational Guide to the 2016 Presidential Election Process 4

With less than a year until the 2016 presi-dential election, individuals may wonder how the election process works, especially since there has been much focus regarding the many candidates seeking the nation’s highest office. While much attention is paid to individual candidates specifi-cally during the election year, it is important to have an understanding of the processes that exist for an aspirant to become the President of the United States. Several individual aspects make up the overall presidential election process. The pur-pose of this guide is to explain these in detail and to bring them together in one central resource: by specifically focusing on the procedures associ-ated with Democratic and Republican candidates for President.

The guide is divided into three main sections. The first section is titled Primary Season. The overall focus of the primary season is to get a candi-date’s committed delegates elected during state primaries and caucuses to officially nominate the individual at their party’s national nominating convention. Topics discussed in the first section include: types of delegates elected to national nominating conventions; explanation of primary caucuses versus primary elections; the reason for variation of dates of primary caucuses and elec-tions; and the delegate allocation processes to the states from each national political party.

The second section is titled National Nominating Conventions. The overall focus of this section is the official nomination of a party’s candidate for president. Topics mentioned in this section in-clude: what happens to committed delegates after their candidate withdraws from the race; the pro-cess of a brokered convention should a candidate not have a majority of committed delegate votes; and the reason national nominating conventions exist and the business that gets conducted at the gatherings.

The third section is titled General Election. The overall focus of the general election is for the re-spective party’s nominee to win individual states’ popular vote on Election Day which in turn

elects slates of Electoral College members who will cast ballots to officially elect the president. Topics include: an explanation of the Electoral College and presidential electors; the winner take all provision; the congressional district allocation provision for Maine & Nebraska; the impact of the Electoral College process on the presidential campaign; and the actual constitutional election procedure. It is the author’s hope that this guide will provide answers and details to the many individual processes that make up the presidential election method. Should anyone have additional questions about the presidential election process that are not answered he or she is encouraged to email the author, whose contact information is provided in the About the Author section at the end of the guide.

Section I: Primary Season

In order to represent one of the two major politi-cal parties in the 2016 presidential election on November 8, a candidate must first secure their party’s nomination. To obtain that nomination, a candidate must secure a majority (greater than 50%) of the delegate votes of his or her party’s national nominating convention. Both parties host a national convention during the summer of 2016 where they officially nominate their candidate to compete in the following November’s general election. Prior to the convention there are several potential candidates that compete for the official nomination to become that party’s presidential nominee. It is only after one is nominated at the national convention that they can officially be called the party’s nominee for president.

“Candidates must secure at least 50% of the

delegates votes to win their parties nomination.”


During the summer of 2015 many individuals an-nounced their candidacies for the presidency, but the first goal is to win their party’s nomination for the office. In the primary season each candidate seeks to get as many delegates who have offi-cially committed to vote for them at the national nominating convention elected by primary voters or caucus attendees at each state’s primary elec-tion or primary caucus. Primary elections and caucuses are about getting a candidate’s com-mitted delegates elected to their party’s national nominating convention, which equate to votes for the official nomination.

There are a variety of delegate types that par-ticipate in national conventions, but the most common type of delegate is known as the district delegate. District delegates are elected to go to their party’s national nominating convention from a particular geographic area, usually a congres-sional district, and are associated with a par-ticular presidential candidate’s name for whom they have committed to vote for at the party’s national convention.

For example, in the 2016 race there would be a slate of individuals running as district delegates to the Republican National Convention from a particular area who are associated with Jeb Bush; a second slate of individuals running as delegates associated with Donald Trump; a third slate of individuals running as delegates associated with Marco Rubio, and so forth. Only the specific individuals who get elected by the primary voters or caucus participants in that district actually go to that party’s national nominating convention. Those elected individual delegates then count as committed delegates toward that presidential can-didate’s total delegate count for whom they have pledged support. Each district usually has several delegate slots allotted by the national party.

Most commonly, district delegates are elected in a primary election via highest number of votes. If an area is allotted three district delegates to the Republican National Convention, then the indi-vidual delegates, (not the presidential candidate, if there is a presidential preference vote within

that state) receiving the top three highest num-bers of votes would be elected district delegates to the convention no matter which presidential candidate they were committed to supporting. The number of delegates allocated per district is explained in the delegate allocation section of this guide.


A second common type of delegate is the at-large delegate. At-large delegates are usually commit-ted to a specific presidential candidate. The state or territory party decides how at-large delegates are elected for that state or territory, but there are a couple of common methods generally used. If the state or territory conducts a primary presi-dential preference vote then the at-large slate of delegates committed to the candidate who re-ceives the highest number of popular votes in the primary for that state is awarded on a winner take all basis. For example, if Hillary Clinton were to win 44%; Bernie Sanders were to win 30%; and Martin O’Malley were to win 6% of the popular vote in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, then all of the at-large delegates assigned to the state would be given to committed delegates of Hillary Clinton using this method.

States or territory parties can also choose to elect at-large delegates using a proportional method based on the primary preference vote. For example using the same Democratic primary popular vote totals stated above, instead of Hill-ary Clinton receiving all of New Hampshire’s at-large delegates she would only receive 40%; while Bernie Sanders would receive 30%; and


Martin O’Malley would receive 6% respectively. If there is no primary presidential preference vote taken, then at-large delegates are selected by the state or territory party and are uncom-mitted to any specific presidential candidate. At-large delegates not directly elected in a state’s primary caucus or election are elected at the party’s state convention. Each party in each state holds a state convention prior to the national nominating conventions.


Primary Election or Primary Caucus

The primary election is the most common process for electing delegates in most of the 50 states. The other method for electing convention delegates is through a caucus. Whether a particular state has a caucus or election is up to the leadership of each party within that state and/or the state’s legisla-ture. While it is customary that the leadership of both major parties in a state come to agreement to support a uniform process, there are some states where each party has their primary elections or caucuses on different dates as in South Carolina. It is possible for one party to have a election and the other party to have a caucus as in Kentucky.

The difference between a primary caucus and election is the specific method for election of delegates to the party’s national convention. A primary caucus is accepted as the historic method of selecting delegates for presidential nomination and is reminiscent of the nation’s early presiden-tial election contests. Some states still choose to use the caucus method today. Iowa is the most

prominent of those states. For a primary caucus, each party will post a specific meeting time and location for their voters in each voting precinct within the state (a precinct is a small geographic area that has been subdivided by the state’s elec-tion authority). During that caucus meeting brief information will be shared about each candi-date seeking that particular party’s presidential nomination. After these presentations, caucus attendees will either raise hands in support of particular candidates or the group will subdivide into smaller groups within the room to physically show their support for particular candidates by standing together. The results of this vote by hand or physical group subdivision are then compiled by each precinct and tallied into what will rep-resent the number of committed delegates for each candidate.

There are separate caucus meetings at different locations held in each precinct for each party. An individual voter can only attend one caucus meeting. Another feature of the caucus process is that the vote is not a secret vote since individuals vote with a show of hands or a movement into subgroups. A final feature of the caucus process is that one has to be physically present at the appro-priate location at the appointed time and date in order to participate in the nomination process.

The second mode of election of delegates to each party’s nominating convention is the primary election. The primary election is similar to that of a general election. A particular date is chosen when the primary election will occur. On that date voters will show up at their normal polling loca-tion and depending on their party affiliation will be given a specific ballot with only that party’s delegate candidates on it. Primary elections are conducted via secret ballot. A primary voter selects the individual delegates of their choice, each who are committed to specific presidential candidates. In a primary election polls are typi-cally open during the same hours as the general election at the same polling locations, allow-ing anyone who is registered to go and vote at their convenience.


There are three main types of primaries that exist within the states: the open primary; the closed primary; and the hybrid primary. In an open primary any registered voter, regardless of one’s current or past political affiliation can cast a vote for any candidate of either party and are allowed a “crossover” vote between candidates of differ-ing parties for different offices. In a closed pri-mary, a voter must be registered as a member of the party, prior to the primary election date. The voter’s ballot in a closed primary will only con-tain candidates for the specific party that the voter has chosen. In a hybrid primary, a combination of these two systems is used. For example, in Illi-nois a registered voter can show up on the date of the election to vote and select either a Democratic or Republican ballot (regardless of which party they voted for in the past) but once the ballot has been given they can only vote for the candidates of the party for which the ballot was issued.

The party leadership in each state is also able to select its own date for its caucus or election. This is one reason the primary season is so chaotic. In the general election in November all states hold the election on the same date, which in 2016 will be November 8. Some states may change their primary dates or process to help a specific home state candidate who is running for president. Two examples of this: In 2008 Illinois moved its primary election date earlier in order to give then presidential candidate Barack Obama an early committed delegate boost (since Illinois assumed candidate Obama would have a much higher percentage of delegates elected from the state he was then representing in the U.S. Senate, than his opponent Hillary Clinton); and second, in 2015, the Kentucky Republican Party voted to hold a caucus in 2016 instead of the usual primary election to allow Senator (and Republican presi-dential candidate) Rand Paul the ability to run for president and U.S. Senate at the same time.

Primary Caucus & Election Dates

While primary dates occasionally change from previous presidential election years, there are a few dates and states of note during the primary

season. The first is Iowa. The reason Iowa garners so much attention in the primary cycle is because it is historically the first statewide contest of the presidential election year. In 2016, the Iowa pri-mary caucuses will be held on Monday, February 1. All eyes will be on Iowa, not because it holds a huge number of delegates for either party’s can-didate, but because it is held so early that many political analysts, both novice and expert, will speculate on what a candidate’s showing in Iowa might mean in regards to their future performance during the election cycle.

The next state that garners attention is New Hampshire. New Hampshire also holds its pri-mary election early in the election season, usually second after Iowa. In 2016, the New Hampshire primaries will be held on Tuesday, February 9. South Carolina is generally third to hold its pri-mary elections. The South Carolina Republican primary will be held on Saturday, February 20 and the South Carolina Democratic primary will be held on Saturday, February 27.


The fourth major event during the primary season is known as “Super Tuesday.” In 2016, Super Tuesday will be on March 1. It is called “Super Tuesday” because 11 states will hold their pri-mary caucuses or elections on this day. In 2016 these states are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. While many other primary caucuses and elections hap-pen after this date, Super Tuesday is generally critical in a candidate’s ability to secure enough committed delegates for their party’s nomination.


Candidates that have not fared well by this time will generally reassess their bids for their party’s presidential nomination. Many will drop out of the race if they have not been able to secure a significant number of committed delegates by this time (see Appendix 1 for all state primary caucus and election dates).

The primary season is about securing commit-ted delegates that will support the candidate at their respective party’s national convention. In order for a candidate to win their party’s nomina-tion that individual must receive over 50% of the delegate votes at their party’s national nominating convention. The total number of delegates to the Democratic National Convention is 4,763, thus a Democratic presidential candidate must secure 2,382 delegate votes to obtain their party’s nomi-nation for President. The total number of needed delegates was fixed by the Democratic National Committee on January 1, 2016. The total number of delegates to the Republican National Conven-tion is 2,470. Thus, a Republican presidential candidate must secure at least 1,236 delegate votes to obtain presidential nomination.

Delegate Allocation Processes

Each national party determines a process to allo-cate delegates slots to each of 50 states and U.S. territories for their respective national conven-tion. These processes for delegate allocations are specified by national party rules. Since each party handles its allocation of delegate slots differently each party’s process must be described separately.

Democratic National Convention Delegate Allocation

The allocation process of Democratic delegates under the Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules is complex. There are three stages that occur in the DNC delegate allocation process: 1) a base delegate allocation of delegates slots are provided to the states; 2) each state submits a state del-egate selection plan back to the DNC for the base delegate allocation spaces; and 3) bonus delegates are allocated to states by the DNC.

The first stage of the process begins with an al-location of a base number of delegates to each of the states. The DNC began with a total base of 3,200 delegates for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. An allocation factor is calculated for each state based on an equation made up of two components. The first component of the equation is the state’s Democratic vote (SDV) from the 2004, 2008, and 2012 presidential elections added together then divided by the total U.S. Demo-cratic vote (TDV) from the 2004, 2008, and 2012 presidential elections added together. The second component of the equation is the state’s electoral votes (SEV) averaged from the 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections divided by the total number of electoral votes possible (which is 538; electoral votes are explained later in this guide). The first component of the equation is then added to the second component of the equation and then mul-tiplied by 0.5. This equation provides the alloca-tion factor for each state which is then multiplied by the total number of base delegates (3,200) and rounded up or down to the nearest whole number. This whole number is the base number of delegates allocated to that particular state.

The equation for the allocation factor is articulated as:

Allocation Factor =

0.5 [(SDV/TDV) + (SEV/538)]

This base number of delegates allocated to each state is then required by DNC rules to be divided into district delegates and at-large delegates based on a 75%/25% principle. As such, 75% of a state’s base delegates will be district delegates which are divided among regions within that spe-cific state. The remaining 25% of delegates will be at-large delegates for the entire state.

For example, Iowa will receive 40 base del-egates to the 2016 Democratic National Conven-tion. Thirty of these will be allocated as district delegates; and ten of them will be allocated as


statewide at-large delegates. All of these base delegate slots will be filled by delegates who are committed to a specific Democratic presidential candidate during that state’s primary caucus or election. In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia is also allocated base delegates using this method.

The next stage of the Democratic party allocation process is the submission of a state’s Delegate Se-lection Plan to the DNC for review and approval. Once a state receives notification from the DNC of the number of base delegates it has been allo-cated, it must then decide from one of four preset state delegate selection plans and submit that plan back to the DNC by May 4, 2015. The four preset state allocation plan options are set forth in the DNC Bylaws and are described as Options A, B, C, and D.

Option A is the use of a formula giving equal weight to total population of the state and to the average of the vote for Democratic candidates in the two most recent presidential elections (2008 & 2012) for that state.

Option B is a formula giving equal weight to the vote for the Democratic candidates in the most recent presidential (2012) election and gubernato-rial election for that specific state.

Option C is a formula giving equal weight for the Democratic candidates in the two most re-cent presidential elections (2008 & 2012) and to Democratic Party registration as of January 1, 2016 for that state.

Option D is a formula giving one-third (1/3) weight to each of the formulas from Options A, B, and C, discussed above. It is up to the Demo-cratic Party’s State Central Committee in each respective state to set up a process for selecting among the preset delegate allocation plans (Op-tions A, B, C or D) and submitting their plan back to the DNC.

Once the DNC reviews and approves a state’s del-egate selection plan, it can award bonus delegates to a state in addition to its base delegates. The bo-

nus delegates are awarded based on two factors. First, the DNC will award states bonus delegates that hold their primary caucus or elections later in the primary season. If a state chooses to have its primary caucus or election after April 1 it will be granted a 10% increase (from the total base 3,200 delegates) and if a state waits until after May 1, it will receive a 20% bonus. The second factor which the DNC awards state bonuses is to encourage states within a particular region to work together and hold their primary caucuses or elections on the same day. If three or more ad-joining states in a region hold their primary on or after March 28, 2016, and on the same date they will receive an additional 15% bonus-number of delegates. A state can capitalize on both these fac-tors to increase its bonus delegates if it holds its primary caucus or election after April 1 or May 1 and coordinates with two other adjoining states in scheduling their primary on the same date.


To receive the maximum from both bonus fac-tors a state must hold its primary contest after May 1, and on the same date as two other adjoin-ing states. In this case the state would receive the 20% bonus (for holding a later caucus or primary); plus the 15% bonus for clustering its caucus or primary on the same date as other states in the region. These two bonuses com-bined give a state a 35% increase from the base number of delegates it would have had under the allocation factor allotment of base delegates. If a state is awarded bonus delegates by the DNC these bonus delegates are divided using the same 75%:25% principle discussed earlier with 75%


being allocated as district delegates and 25% being allocated as at-large statewide delegates. Bonus delegates also become committed to a specific Democratic presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention. The District of Columbia is also eligible for bonus delegates.

In addition to delegates being awarded to individ-ual states, the DNC also awards six at-large dele-gates to the territories of American Samoa; Guam and the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is awarded 44 base delegates and “Democrats Abroad” is award-ed 12 at-large delegates. These delegates are all committed to a specific Democratic presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention.

The final category of delegate allotment from the DNC is the “party leader” and “Democratic election officials” or “PLEO” delegates to the convention. These PLEO delegates are sometimes referred to as “super delegates.” PLEO delegate votes are not weighted any more than committed district or at-large delegate votes but do not have to commit to a particular Democratic presiden-tial candidate prior to the Democratic National Convention. Individuals are awarded a delegate vote based on the office they hold. PLEO del-egates can consist of Democratic governors, big city Democratic mayors, Democratic statewide office holders; Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic members of the U.S. Senate; Democratic State Legislative leaders; members of the Democratic National Committee; current and former chairpersons of the Democratic National Committee; current and former Democratic leaders of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate; and current or former Democratic presidents of the United States. PLEO delegates are assigned to the state from which that individu-al is a registered voter.

Republican National Convention Delegate Allocation

According to the rules of the Republican National Committee (RNC) each state is allocated three types of delegates to the 2016 Republican Nation-al Convention: At-large delegates; district del-egates; and bonus delegates. Each state is given

13 at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention. If the state in which these 13 at-large Republican delegates are from conducts a prima-ry presidential preference vote, then these at-large delegates are committed (or bound is the term the Republican Party Rules use) to the Republi-can presidential candidate that wins the prefer-ence vote in their specific state. If the state does not conduct a presidential preference vote than these at-large delegates are considered uncom-mitted or unbound delegates. These uncommit-ted delegates are free to vote for any Republican presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention. Ten of a state’s at-large delegates are usually elected by the state Republican Party or at a state’s convention. The other three at-large delegates are allocated to the three national Republican Party officials from each state, these being: the state’s Republican chairperson; the state’s Republican national committeeman; and the state’s Republican national committeewoman.


In addition to the at-large delegates, each state is allocated three district delegates for each congres-sional district that exists within the state. This al-location of three district delegate slots is equal to the total number of U.S. House seats a state has, no matter which party holds those seats. For ex-ample, the State of Delaware has one U.S. House seat that is currently held by a Democratic con-gressman, Delaware will still be awarded three district delegate slots to the Republican National Convention. All district delegates elected in the primary caucus or election are committed to vote


for a specific Republican presidential candidate at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Finally, there are also bonus delegates to the Republican National Convention. Bonus delegate slots are a way for the RNC to “reward” the state for electing Republicans to state and federal offices or for voting for the Republican presiden-tial nominee in the 2012 presidential election. According to RNC rules, a state can be awarded bonus delegate slots for one of six reasons:

a) one bonus slot for each Republican U.S. sena-tor that is elected between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2015;

b) one bonus slot for a Republican governor elected between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015;

c) one bonus slot for more than 50% of U.S House members from the state being Repub-licans elected between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015;

d) one bonus slot for one chamber of the state’s legislature being more than 50% Re-publican elected between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015;

e) one bonus slot if both chambers of the state’s legislature are more than 50% Republi-can and elected between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015; and

f) 4 and ½ bonus slots for a state that cast at least majority of its electoral votes (explained later in this guide) for the 2012 Republican presidential nominee plus 60% of the state’s total electoral vote rounded up to the nearest whole number.

Bonus delegate slots are treated and selected the same way as the ten at-large delegates in a state and are bound or unbound to a specific Repub-lican presidential candidate based on the state’s primary presidential preference vote, if one exists in that state.

In addition to these state allocations for each of the 50 states, there are at-large delegate alloca-

tions for the District of Columbia and for the fol-lowing U.S. territories: American Samoa; Guam; Northern Mariana Islands; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands. Territories do not receive district delegates, nor are they eligible for bonus-delegate allocation. These territorial at-large delegates are committed or bound to a specific Republican presidential candidate if a preference vote is taken in that territory.


Section II: National Nominating Conventions

Each major political party will host a national nomination convention during July of 2016. During each convention all elected or selected delegates for that party will meet to formally cast their votes for their specific candidates to become the party’s nominee for president. The Democrat-ic National Convention will be held July 25-28, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Republican National Convention will be held July 18-21, in Cleveland, Ohio.

In recent presidential election contests both of the major party nominees for president have been known weeks prior to the convention. This is because a particular candidate has secured enough committed delegates prior to the conven-tion date. A candidate does not officially become his or her party’s nominee until the convention is held. During the convention, elected delegates formally cast their votes for the candidate that they pledged support to prior to being elected or selected as a delegate. At this time, unpledged delegates also cast votes for the individual they


wish to become their party’s nominee. In recent years the casting of votes is a formality since at this point in the election process one candidate in each party has generally secured enough com-mitted delegates to obtain their party’s official nomination at the convention.


Committed Delegates after Candidate Withdrawal

Some candidates will drop out or suspend their presidential campaigns prior to the nominating convention, yet have some committed delegates already elected who have pledged to support them. This is a common situation, particularly in states that have early primary caucuses or elec-tions. In 2008 Mike Huckabee won the Iowa Republican Caucuses in February but later that spring withdrew from the race. The delegates who were elected or selected as “Huckabee delegates” were then considered uncommitted and could choose to support another candidate seeking that party’s presidential nomination. Such individu-als are still elected convention delegates and will be given credentials to attend the national convention, but are no longer “committed” to a specific candidate.

Many times when a presidential candidate with-draws from the race they will publicly announce their support for another candidate seeking that party’s presidential nomination. Generally the withdrawn candidate will ask their delegates to support the other candidate whom they endorse. While these former “committed” delegates are strongly urged to support the other endorsed

candidate, they are not required to support any candidate until the actual convention.

Brokered Convention

While a brokered convention has not occurred in the past several nominating contests, it is im-portant to understand the concept. A brokered convention occurs when no candidate seeking a particular party’s nomination receives more than 50% of delegate votes at the nominating conven-tion on the first ballot. For example, three candi-dates are seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Candidate A receives 40% of the total delegate votes, Candidate B receives 30% of the total delegate votes, and Candidate C receives 30% of the total delegate votes. None of the three candidates have received more than 50% of the delegate votes and none of them can officially receive the party’s nomination for president. The convention delegates then will move to a second round of voting. In this second, or any subse-quent round, committed delegates are no longer required to vote for the candidate they had origi-nally committed to support. In essence they be-come free agents and can support any person for their party’s nomination for president. The term “brokered convention” is used as generally deals are made in order for a particular candidate to secure the required majority of delegate votes and the party’s official nomination for president. This typically does not happen in modern races for the presidency, but it is important to remember that committed delegates are only required to support their pledged candidate during the first round of voting at their party’s nominating convention.

Convention Business

If each party’s presidential nominee is known well before the actual nominating convention, why do parties still hold national nominating conventions? The answer is threefold: First, the convention is the time and place for the official casting of votes by elected convention delegates, and when the specific candidate is officially nom-inated to carry the party’s label as “presidential nominee.” Second, there is other party business that occurs at the national nominating convention


in addition to selecting the party’s presidential nominee. These business items include changes to the party’s official platform which outlines the party’s official stance on foreign, domestic, fiscal, and social issues, as well as amendments to the party’s official rules which determine how the party will operate administratively during the next four year period. At the convention, delegates may also make changes to the party’s delegate selection or allocation process which would take effect at the 2020 national nominating convention for that particular party.

Next, the conventions are used as a focal point for the public and media (since conventions usu-ally are broadcast nationally) to showcase the party’s presidential nominee and their vision for the country over the next four years. The goal is to energize the party’s voter base and educate general voting population about the nominee and what they stand for in an effort win the support of undecided voters.


Section III: General Election

The general election for president will take place on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Unlike the pri-mary contests which are held on different dates for each state, the presidential election is held on the same date throughout the United States. During the general election, each candidate who has been officially nominated by their party will be on the ballot and compete for the office of the president. While the results of the presidential contest may be reported as a particular candidate

being “elected” the night of November 8, 2016, this is a practical exercise as opposed to the ac-tual election of the president provided for in the U.S. Constitution.

In essence, on election night, voters are actually voting for a slate of presidential electors when they go to the polling place and they cast a vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. Based on the Electoral College structure set up by the framers of the U.S. Constitution, it is the votes of the members of the “Electoral College” that actually elect the President of the United States, not the votes of the members of the public.

The Electoral College & Presidential Electors

The number of members of the Electoral College is fixed at 538, with each member having one vote. This number is based on the total number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is fixed at 435; and the number of U.S. Senators, which is 100. When you add these two numbers you get 535, the total number of mem-bers of the U.S. Congress. Additionally, three electoral votes are given to the District of Co-lumbia, which raises the total number of electoral votes to 538. A presidential nominee must win more than 50% of the electoral votes to become the president. This number is 270. If no candi-date receives 270 or more electoral votes then the election is delegated to the U.S. House of Repre-sentatives to select a president.

Each state is given a specific number of electoral votes based on the number of representatives it has in the U.S. House, plus two electoral votes, one for each of the U.S. Senators that represent that state. If a state has three members in its del-egation to the U.S. House that state will have five electoral votes. The five come from adding the three electoral votes are given that represent the three U.S. House districts from that state, and two electoral votes that represent the two U.S. Senate seats from that state.

The number of electoral votes for a state is fixed for ten years. Every ten years after the census has been conducted the number of U.S. House seats is


reallocated based on population movement. Some states may receive additional members to the U.S. House during the next ten year period, and some states may lose members of the U.S. House based on population loss. Some states may stay the same. While the number of electoral votes al-located to each state is based on the total number of U.S. House seats and U.S. Senate seats it is important to note that the actual members of U.S. House or U.S. Senate are not generally members of the Electoral College.

Winner Take All Provision

How does a candidate actually win electoral votes? Each state is able to determine the way in which members of the Electoral College (called presidential electors) from that state are elected. For most of the United States, each state operates on a winner-take-all process. This means which-ever presidential nominee wins the popular vote in the state on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, then that party’s full slate of presidential electors are elected to the Electoral College. Each state party determines a slate of presidential electors. Gener-ally individuals with very strong records of party support in that state are placed on that party’s slate of official presidential electors. The list of the party’s presidential electors is then approved by the delegates at that party’s state convention in the spring and early summer of 2016. If their party’s nominee wins the popular vote in their state in November, 2016, then that party’s entire slate of presidential electors is officially elected.

For example, in 2016 the state of Ohio has been allocated 18 electoral votes as part of the Elec-toral College. In Ohio the state Democratic Party will approve a slate of 18 Democratic presidential electors and the state Republican Party will select a slate of 18 Republican presidential electors. These slates will be selected at the Ohio State Democratic and Republican Conventions respec-tively. If the Republican presidential candidate receives the highest percentage of popular vote in Ohio on November 8, 2016, then all 18 of the Re-publican presidential electors are duly elected to the Electoral College and will meet in December

of 2016 to cast their official ballot for the Repub-lican presidential nominee. It will be reported on election night that the Republican nominee has 18 electoral votes based on the result of the popular vote total in Ohio. This is replicated for each of the states until one presidential nominee (and their party) is able to elect members to the Electoral College to reach or exceed the magic number of 270 presidential electors. At this point, that party’s presidential nominee is announced as the winner and will be become the next president on January 20, 2017.


Congressional District Allocation Provision

There are two states, Maine and Nebraska, which elect presidential electors by congressio-nal district as opposed to by the entire state. In these states the popular vote is looked at for each congressional district and members of the Elec-toral College are elected by the popular vote of each specific district. For example, if the Demo-cratic presidential nominee receives a majority of the popular vote in Maine’s 1st Congressio-nal District, then in that district the Democratic presidential elector is elected from District 1. If in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District the Republi-can presidential nominee receives the majority of the popular vote then the Republican presidential elector is elected from District 2. This process would continue for each of the congressional districts within the state. As for the two additional electoral votes that represent the two U.S. Senate seats, these two presidential electors would be elected by the result of the statewide popular vote within that state.


Through either method, the popular vote in each state or district is used to determine which slate of presidential electors will be elected. Once a nominee achieves 270 or more presidential elec-tors the race is considered over.

How the Electoral College Impacts the Presidential Campaign

The winner-take-all provision of the Electoral College has a direct impact on the movement and behavior of presidential candidates once their par-ty’s nomination is secure and prior to the Novem-ber general election. In the modern presidential election this is mostly informed by regular polling data conducted by the candidate, each party, and independent organizations. Since it is critical for a nominee to secure 270 electoral votes to win the presidency and the majority of states award 100% of their electoral votes based on the nominee winning the popular vote in that state on election day, nominees will focus their attention on state’s where the popular vote is particularly close, and states that have a high number of electoral votes to award. See Appendix 2 of this guide for the number of electoral votes allocated to each state for the 2016 presidential election.

A state that consistently polls extremely high for a particular nominee may not see that candidate very often (unless they visit for a fundraising event) since it is likely they will win the state’s popular vote and 100% of the state’s electoral votes. Additionally, if both presidential nominees are polling very close in two different states like Ohio and Vermont, it is most likely that the nomi-nees will spend more time and energy (as well as money on advertising) in Ohio over Vermont since if one nominee can achieve the edge in Ohio and win the popular vote on Election Day, they will get all of Ohio’s 18 electoral votes as opposed to only three from Vermont.

The Actual Presidential Election Process

Presidential electors who are elected at the No-vember 8, 2016 general election will meet in late December in their state’s capitol and cast official ballots for president. These ballots are (Photo Courtesy of the White House Press Office)

certified by that state’s Secretary of State then are sealed and sent to Washington, DC. On January 6, 2017, during the first week of the 115th Con-gress, after all the new members are sworn in and during a joint session of congress presided over by the Speaker of the U.S. House and the Vice President of the United States, (serving in his capacity as President of the U.S. Senate) the official ballots are opened and counted. After all ballots are counted, and upon a specific individual receiving 270 or more electoral votes from the members of the Electoral College, the president is officially declared elected by the sitting vice president. If at that time no candidate has re-ceived at least 270 electoral votes, then debate begins in the U.S. House among the members of the 115th Congress between the three candidates receiving the highest, second highest, and third highest number of electoral votes. While this step of going to the U.S. House of Representatives to select a president is not common in modern presidential election contests, it has happened twice in U.S. history: once in 1800 in the elec-tion between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, when the U.S. House elected Thomas Jefferson; and in 1824 between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, when the U.S. House elected John Quincy Adams.


Resources for Additional Information

Party and Convention Information:

Democratic National Committee – https://www.democrats.org

Republican National Committee – https://gop.com

2016 Democratic National Convention Website – www.phldnc.com

2016 Republican National Convention Website – www.2016cle.com

Democratic National Committee Rules – www.demrulz.org/dnc/dnc-2016-convention-call-dele-gate-selection

Presidential Election Process:

Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elec-tions/elecprocess.html

USA.Gov - https://www.usa.gov/election

Key Dates:

Primary Season: February 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016

2016 Republican National Convention: July 18, 2016 to July 21, 2016

2016 Democratic National Convention: July 25, 2016 to July 28, 2016

2016 Presidential Election: Tuesday, November 8, 2016

https://www.democrats.org

https://www.democrats.org

https://gop.com

http://www.phldnc.com

http://www.2016cle.com

http://www.demrulz.org/dnc/dnc-2016-convention-call-delegate-selection

http://www.demrulz.org/dnc/dnc-2016-convention-call-delegate-selection

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/el

https://www.usa.gov/election


Appendix 1: 2016 Primary Caucus & Election Dates(Total Number of Delegates at Stake for Each Party Also Listed)

Month Date State Party Type D-Del. R -Del.

February Monday, February 01, 2016 Iowa Dem & Rep Caucus 52 30

Tuesday, February 09, 2016 New Hampshire Dem & Rep Primary 32 23

Saturday, February 20, 2016 Nevada Dem Caucus 43

Saturday, February 20, 2016 South Carolina Rep Primary 50

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 Nevada Rep Caucus 30

Saturday, February 27, 2016 South Carolina Dem Primary 59

March Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Alabama Dem & Rep Primary 60 50

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Alaska Rep Caucus 28

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 American Samoa Dem Caucus 10

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Arkansas Dem & Rep Primary 37 40

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Colorado Dem & Rep Caucus 79 37

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Democrats Abroad Dem Primary 17

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Georgia Dem & Rep Primary 116 76

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Massachusetts Dem & Rep Primary 116 42

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Minnesota Dem & Rep Caucus 93 38

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Oklahoma Dem & Rep Primary 42 43

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Tennessee Dem & Rep Primary 76 58

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Texas Dem & Rep Primary 252 155

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Vermont Dem & Rep Primary 26 16

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Virginia Dem & Rep Primary 110 49

Saturday, March 05, 2016 Kansas Dem & Rep Caucus 37 40

Saturday, March 05, 2016 Kentucky Rep Caucus 46

Saturday, March 05, 2016 Louisiana Dem & Rep Primary 58 46

Saturday, March 05, 2016 Maine Rep Caucus 23

Saturday, March 05, 2016 Nebraska Dem Caucus 30

Sunday, March 06, 2016 Maine Dem Caucus 30

Sunday, March 06, 2016 Puerto Rico Rep Primary 23

Tuesday, March 08, 2016 Hawaii Rep Caucus 19

Tuesday, March 08, 2016 Idaho Rep Primary 32

Tuesday, March 08, 2016 Michigan Dem & Rep Primary 147 59

Tuesday, March 08, 2016 Mississippi Dem & Rep Primary 41 40

Saturday, March 12, 2016 D.C. Rep Conv. 19

Saturday, March 12, 2016 N. Mariana Islds. Dem Conv. 11

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Florida Dem & Rep Primary 246 99

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Illinois Dem & Rep Primary 182 69

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Missouri Dem & Rep Primary 84 52

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 North Carolina Dem & Rep Primary 121 72

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Ohio Dem & Rep Primary 159 66


Appendix 1: 2016 Primary Caucus & Election DatesContinued (Total Number of Delegates at Stake for Each Party Also Listed)

Month Date State Party Type D-Del. R-Del.

March (Con’t)

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 N. Mariana Islds. Rep Caucus 9

Saturday, March 19, 2016 Virgin Islds Rep Caucus 9

Tuesday, March 22, 2016 Arizona Dem & Rep Primary 85 58

Tuesday, March 22, 2016 Idaho Dem Caucus 27

Tuesday, March 22, 2016 Utah Dem & Rep Caucus 37 40

Saturday, March 26, 2016 Alaska Dem Caucus 20

Saturday, March 26, 2016 Hawaii Dem Caucus 34

Saturday, March 26, 2016 Washington Dem Caucus 118

April Tuesday, April 05, 2016 Wisconsin Dem & Rep Primary 96 42

Saturday, April 09, 2016 Wyoming Dem Caucus 18

Tuesday, April 19, 2016 New York Dem & Rep Primary 291 95

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Connecticut Dem & Rep Primary 70 28

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Delaware Dem & Rep Primary 31 16

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Maryland Dem & Rep Primary 118 38

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Pennsylvania Dem & Rep Primary 210 71

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Rhode Island Dem & Rep Primary 33 19

May Tuesday, May 03, 2016 Indiana Dem & Rep Primary 92 57

Saturday, May 07, 2016 Guam Dem Conv. 12

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 Nebraska Rep Primary 36

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 West Virginia Dem & Rep Primary 37 34

Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Kentucky Dem Primary 61

Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Oregon Dem & Rep Primary 74 28

Tuesday, May 24, 2016 Washington Rep Primary 44

June Saturday, June 04, 2016 Virgin Islds Dem Caucus 12

Sunday, June 05, 2016 Puerto Rico Dem Primary 67

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 California Dem & Rep Primary 546 172

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 Montana Dem & Rep Primary 27 27

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 New Jersey Dem & Rep Primary 142 51

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 New Mexico Dem & Rep Primary 43 24

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 North Dakota Dem Caucus 23

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 South Dakota Dem & Rep Primary 25 29

Tuesday, June 14, 2016 D.C Dem Primary 45


Appendix 2: DNC Delegate AllocationIn date order - 2,382 Delegate Votes Needed to Win Nomination

State: District: At-Large: PLEO: Total:

Iowa 29 9 14 52

New Hampshire 16 5 11 32

Nevada 23 7 13 43

South Carolina 35 11 13 59

Alabama 35 11 14 60

American Samoa 0 6 4 10

Arkansas 21 7 9 37

Colorado 43 14 22 79

Democrats Abroad 0 12 5 17

Georgia 67 22 27 116

Massachusetts 59 20 37 116

Minnesota 50 17 26 93

Oklahoma 25 8 9 42

Tennessee 44 14 18 76

Texas 145 48 59 252

Vermont 11 3 12 26

Virginia 62 21 27 110

Kansas 22 7 8 37

Louisiana 33 11 14 58

Nebraska 17 5 8 30

Maine 17 5 8 30

Michigan 85 28 34 147

Mississippi 23 8 10 41

N. Marina Islds. 0 6 5 11

Florida 140 46 60 246

Illinois 102 34 46 182

Missouri 47 15 22 84

North Carolina 70 23 28 121

Ohio 93 31 35 159

Arizona 50 16 19 85

Idaho 15 5 7 27

Utah 22 7 8 37

Alaska 10 4 6 20

Hawaii 16 6 12 34


Appendix 2: DNC Delegate Allocation (Con’t)In date order - 2,382 Delegate Votes Needed to Win Nomination

State: District: At-Large: PLEO: Total:

Washington 67 22 29 118

Wisconsin 57 19 20 96

New York 163 54 74 291

Connecticut 36 12 22 70

Delaware 14 5 12 31

Maryland 64 21 33 118

Pennsylvania 127 42 41 210

Rhode Island 15 6 12 33

Indiana 56 18 18 92

Guam 0 7 5 12

West Virginia 20 6 11 37

Kentucky 37 12 12 61

Oregon 41 13 20 74

Virgin Islands 0 7 5 12

Puerto Rico 40 13 14 67

California 317 105 124 546

Montana 15 4 8 27

New Jersey 84 28 30 142

New Mexico 23 7 13 43

North Dakota 12 4 7 23

South Dakota 14 4 7 25

D.C. 13 5 27 45

UN 0 0 3 3

Total Delegates 4,763


Appendix 3: RNC Delegate AllocationIn date order - 1,236 Delegate Votes Needed to Win Nomination

State: District: At-Large: RNC: Total:

Iowa 12 15 3 30

New Hampshire 6 14 3 23

South Carolina 21 26 3 50

Nevada 12 15 3 30

Alabama 21 26 3 50

Alaska 3 22 3 28

Arkansas 12 25 3 40

Colorado 21 13 3 37

Georgia 42 31 3 76

Massachusetts 27 12 3 42

Minnesota 24 11 3 38

Oklahoma 15 25 3 43

Tennessee 27 28 3 58

Texas 103 44 3 155

Vermont 3 10 3 16

Virginia 33 13 3 49

Kansas 12 25 3 40

Kentucky 18 25 3 46

Louisiana 18 25 3 46

Maine 6 14 3 23

Puerto Rico 0 20 3 23

Hawaii 6 10 3 19

Idaho 6 23 3 32

Michigan 42 14 3 59

Mississippi 12 25 3 40

D.C. 0 16 3 19

Florida 81 15 3 99

Illinois 54 12 3 69

Missouri 24 25 3 52

North Carolina 39 30 3 72

Ohio 48 15 3 66

N. Mariana Islds 0 6 3 9

Virgin Islands 0 6 3 9

Arizona 27 28 3 58


Appendix 3: RNC Delegate Allocation (Con’t)In date order - 1,236 Delegate Votes Needed to Win Nomination

State: District: At-Large: RNC: Total:

Utah 12 25 3 40

Wisconsin 24 14 3 42

New York 81 11 3 95

Connecticut 15 10 3 28

Delaware 3 10 3 16

Maryland 24 14 3 38

Pennsylvania 54 14 3 71

Rhode Island 6 10 3 19

Indiana 27 27 3 57

Nebraska 9 24 3 36

West Virginia 9 22 3 34

Oregon 15 10 3 28

Washington 30 11 3 44

California 159 10 3 172

Montana 3 21 3 27

New Jersey 36 12 3 51

New Mexico 9 12 3 24

South Dakota 3 23 3 29

America Samoa 0 6 3 9

Guam 0 5 3 9

North Dakota 3 22 3 28

Wyoming 3 23 3 29

Total Delegates 2,470


Name of State Number of Electoral Votes

Alabama 9Alaska 3Arizona 11Arkansas 6California 55Colorado 9Connecticut 7Delaware 3District of Columbia 3Florida 29Georgia 16Hawaii 4Idaho 4Illinois 20Indiana 11Iowa 6Kansas 6Kentucky 8Louisiana 8Maine 4Maryland 10Massachusetts 11Michigan 16Minnesota 10Mississippi 6Missouri 10Montana 3Nebraska 5Nevada 6New Hampshire 4New Jersey 14New Mexico 5New York 29North Carolina 15North Dakota 3

Name of State Number of Electoral Votes

Ohio 18Oregon 7Pennsylvania 20Rhode Island 4South Carolina 9South Dakota 3Tennessee 11Texas 38Utah 11Vermont 3Virginia 13Washington 12West Virginia 5Wisconsin 10Wyoming 3TOTAL: 538

Appendix 4: 2016 Electoral Vote Allocation


About the Author:

Nick Kachiroubas joined DePaul University’s School of Public Service in the summer of 2012. He received a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee; a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Lewis University in Romeoville; and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the Uni-versity of Illinois at Springfield. His professional interests include Leader-ship and the Presidency, specifically focusing on the relationship between the President of the United States and his Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs of Staff; Leadership in Congress, specifically leadership pertaining to the Speaker of the House; Leadership and Parliamentary Discourse; and Leadership Development of university students and young professionals. In his free time he loves to sail.

Dr. Kachiroubas can be reached at [email protected].

About DePaul University’s School of Public Service:

For more than 40 years, DePaul’s public service program has attracted distinctive faculty and passionate learners, making our School of Public Service one of the largest and most-respected programs in Illinois. Visit our website at http://las.depaul.edu/spsWe are committed to guiding the next generation of policy leaders, nonprofit managers and public ad-ministrators. We work, learn and study in the vibrant downtown Loop of Chicago, with unprecedented access to a network of alumni and professionals. The reputation of our program will precede you in Chicago and around the world. Visit our website at http://las.depaul.edu/spsYou can choose from six different degrees, a distinction that gives our graduates deep and strong cre-dentials in a specific area of interest:• International Public Service, MS • Leadership and Policy Studies, MS• Master of Public Administration, MPA• Master of Nonprofit Management, MNM• Public Service Management, MS• Public Service Management, JD/MS

Acknowledgements:

Chris G. Kachiroubas: for his support and encouragement to help others understand the election process

Richard C. Porter, Republican National Committeeman – Illinois, Republican National Committee:&

Patrice Taylor, Director of Party Affairs, Democratic National Committee:for their assistance in understanding the technical details of their respective party’s delegate allocation and nomination processes

http://las.depaul.edu/sps

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