California delegates help pick presidential candidates. Who are they? How are they chosen?
In November, Californians will cast their votes for the next American president.
Before that happens, however, state delegates at the Republican and Democratic national conventions must select their parties’ presidential candidates — determining who ends up on the ballot.
The Republican National Convention wrapped up July 18 in Milwaukee, and the Democratic National Convention will begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.
After President Joe Biden announced that he’s dropping out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris appears poised to replace him as the Democratic Party’s top presidential pick.
“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison told the Associated Press. “Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.“
That candidate will square off against the GOP’s presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, in November.
How are California delegates selected?
Here’s what you need to know:
What is a state delegate?
A delegate is a person picked to represent their state or community at their party’s presidential nominating convention and select a presidential candidate to represent their party on the November ballot, according to Ballotpedia, a digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections.
“A presidential candidate must reach a minimum number of delegates before he or she can win a party’s nomination,” Ballotpedia said. “This number varies election-to-election and by political party.”
How does California choose its delegates?
Delegates can be chosen through primary elections or caucuses, according to Ballotpedia.
They can also be included because of their position as an elected representative or member of the party leadership,
The two major political parties in the United States, the Democratic and Republican parties, have different systems for selecting and assigning delegates who will represent them.
“Democratic delegates are either pledged or unpledged, while Republican delegates are bound or unbound,” Ballotpedia said.
In the Democratic Party, a pledged delegate is committed to voting for a specific candidate based on the results of the primaries or caucuses. Their votes reflect the preferences of the party members in their state.
An unpledged delegate, also known as a “superdelegate,” is not required to pledge their support to any candidate and can choose to vote for whomever they wish at the convention. They are often party leaders and elected officials.
In the Republican Party, a bound delegate is required to vote for a specific presidential candidate based on the outcomes of the primaries or caucuses.
An unbound delegate is “free to vote for any candidate, regardless of the caucus or primary results in” their state, according to Ballotpedia.
How many delegates does California have?
There are a 496 Democratic delegates and 169 Republican delegates representing California.
California has the highest number of both Republican and Democratic delegates of any state in the nation, according to Ballotpedia.
What’s in store at Democratic National Convention?
Sacramento-area delegates have expressed concern about the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
Michael Vargas, a lawyer and board member of the Elk Grove Unified School District, will attend his first Democratic national convention in August.
He represents the 7th U.S. Congressional District, which includes parts of Sacramento, West Sacramento, Galt and Elk Grove.
“I’ll be honest, I’m definitely nervous,” Vargas said. “I, like many people who ran to be delegates, thought this would be a relatively straightforward convention. I didn’t think this was a possibility.”
Tomas Vera, an Auburn delegate representing the 3rd U.S. Congressional District which includes Placer County, will also attend the convention for the first time.
On Friday, he said that he was “frustrated” by elected officials who might “put the party in complete turmoil” by forcing Biden to step down without the party being unified behind a replacement.
“The next 30 days are going to be absolute chaos,” Vargas said. “But honestly, after the convention and after November, it’s going to be a great story.”
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