Reply #2: My understanding [View All]

[TechBear_Seattle]

At the National Convention, there are two types of delegates: regular and "super." Regular delegates are the ones selected by primaries and caucuses to represent a specific candidate. On the first ballot for naming a party nominee, they are obligated to vote for the candidate they represent. If a candidate has delegates representing a majority of available votes going into the first ballot, then the balloting is pro forma; the candidate goes into the convention the presumptive nominee and all the balloting will do is change that from pro forma to actual. (Superdelegates are party officials and elected officeholders at or above a certain rank. They have a vote and may cast it according to their conscience.)

A "brokered" convention occurs when two things happen. First, no candidate has enough regular delegates to snag a majority of delegate votes on the first nominating ballot. Second, the addition of superdelegate and otherwise uncommitted votes is not enough to give a candidate the majority of delegate votes. Once these two conditions are met, all bets are off. Regular delegates, having fulfilled their mandate, may now vote their conscience. It becomes a free-for-all as partisans lobby for delegate votes, usually by using platform planks as barganing chips. ("We will get this plank put in and block that plank, if we can depend on the support of your block in the next balloting.) This barganing back and forth is the "brokering" part of the convention. Brokered conventions are pretty rare, though.

Hope that helps. :hi: