can someone explain to me exactly how the delegates at the convention work please?

[rch35]

ive come across conflicting information from different sources

are the 4,040 delegates including the superdelegates?

and how many do you need to win?

and say obama and clinton split hte vote 40/40 percent approximately, and edwards gets around 20, can he throw his behind obama if he chooses?

[CK_John]

1. The delegates to the convention are picked by the candidate and our locked in for the first

ballot, 2025 needed to win. Superdelegates are included in the total count. They are not committed unless they publicly endorsed and commit to a candidate. Here is a good site for tallies and info. Check the notes at the bottom of page.

<http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D>

[MonkeyFunk]

2. the delegates aren't picked by the candidate

because there IS no candidate before the convention.

Most of the candidates are picked by the voters in their state conventions. Some... just under 20%, are superdelegates - which means they're elected officials, or past elected officials. So every member of congress, every governor and the like, are superdelegates and get to choose for whom they vote.

You need a majority of the delegates to get the nomination.

[CK_John]

3. I sorry you are wrong, you're voting for a slate of delegates committed to a candidate. In NY the

candidate is on the ballot and the candidate submits a slate to represent them. Superdelegates also include non elected officials.

[MonkeyFunk]

4. There is no candidate

before the convention.

Don't be daft.

[CK_John]

5. The convention will select the nominee of the party for the office of President until then they are

just candidates.

[rch35]

6. thanks nt

[Hippo_Tron]

7. Technically there is no candidate before the convention

But usually there is a presumptive nominee, meaning that one candidate has 2025 delegates locked into voting for them on the first ballot in which case there are no circumstances other than their inability or refusal to accept the nomination that they will not be the nominee.

When this is the case the convention is a dog and pony show to promote the candidate that will inevitably be picked. This dog and pony show is extremely important to the presumptive nominee's strategy because it is free air time with millions of viewers.

A brokered convention means that we indeed do have no candidate yet because no candidate will win on the first ballot. On the second ballot, the delegates may vote for whomever they choose.