Question about the Primaries

[Kiouni]

In the Primaries is who ever gets the most votes wins the nominations? Or is is something else? And is it state by state and whoever wins the most states gets it.

Hold on someone just needs to explain this whole thing to me. Speak slow its 3 in the morning.

[obxhead]

1. It's much like the general election....

completely rigged.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Basically, but...

the party candidate is chosen at the party convention next summer. Each state has a pile of delegates who vote for someone, and the one with the most votes is the candidate.

Years ago, before primaries, there were enormous amounts of dealmaking and politicking and there could be a dozen or more floor votes before a candidate was chosen. Now, the state delegates are pretty much expected to vote the way the state's primary came in.

The way most states work is-- let's say a state has a hundred delegates and Hillary got 40% of the state's primary vote-- that's 40 delegate votes for Hillary at the convention. It gets a little more complicated than that, but that's the idea.

So, unlike conventions many years ago where we never really knew who was going to be the candidate until it was over, now we pretty much know going in who it will be.

[Didereaux]

3. ...and it could be argued that...

...although done with lots of smoke, lots of shady dealing and other 'un-democratic' methods: overall the quality of the final nominee exceeded that of nearly all our 'modern day' primary selections.