Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2020 September 6

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September 6

Vote of delegates at Conventions (Final Passage of the American Primary Election)

Hi, how do delegates actually vote? By secret ballot, with two ballots; one for the candidate President, and one for the Vice President, or do they vote by acclamation? Thanks so much. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.41.100.198 (talk) 09:14, 6 September 2020 (UTC)

Not secret at all. By the time of the vote, the delegates present are there because they've pledged their votes to a particular candidate. Votes are presented by state ("3 votes for Bernie Sanders, and 7 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.") Often (though not this year, for the Democrats) the last state to vote -- by tradition this has often been the home state of the candidate -- will call for, and receive, acclamation. I don't recall when the last time a VP selection was contested. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆 𝄐𝄇} 14:43, 6 September 2020 (UTC)

Oh, that would be 1944's selection of Harry Truman for VP over Henry A. Wallace; see 1944 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆 𝄐𝄇} 14:46, 6 September 2020 (UTC)

A common misconception is that Congress, or at least the Federal government, is in charge of the election in general. Each political party gets to make up their own rules for picking the politicians they will support. Then, come election time, each state gets to make up their own rules for how to pick the candidates the state will vote for. So, any answer about one political party doesn't really have anything to do with another political party. Further, any answer about this year has nothing specific to do with previous years. Any answer about one state has little to do with another state. The entire point is that rules are set by those involved in the locality of the election at the time of the election and they change over time. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 19:47, 6 September 2020 (UTC)

The Federal Government has intervened, however, in the past and does have certain rules that the Congress and the Supreme Court have set for all elections at all levels, and that states or parties are not free to mess with. Parties are not allowed to, for example, hold a whites-only primary election or caucus. (see White primaries for the rules against this). Also see Voting Rights Act of 1965. --Jayron32 18:34, 8 September 2020 (UTC)