BlogChapter Two
Delegate Allocation
Allocation of Delegates to States and Territories
The number of delegates and alternates each state and territory receives is determined by an allocation formula described in detail in the Call for the Convention. In determining each state’s delegation and the exact number of pledged delegate positions (district level, at-large, and pledged Party leader and elected official), the DNC begins with a base of 3,000 delegate slots. These are allocated to the states using a formula that gives equal weight to the sum of the vote for the Democratic candidate in the last three presidential elections (1996, 2000 & 2004) and to population as expressed by electoral vote.
Allocation of Delegates to Presidential Candidates
There are two types of delegates to the Convention – pledged and unpledged.
Pledged delegates are awarded proportionally to candidates based on the results of a primary or caucus. In all, 3,253 pledged delegates are up for grabs in primaries and caucuses. Pledged delegates are elected at the congressional district level and state-wide. A candidate must earn at least 15% of the vote in a congressional district or state-wide in order to qualify to receive a delegate. There are no winner-take-all states in the Democratic Party’s process. Pledged delegates make up approximately 80% of the delegates at the Convention.
There are several types of pledged delegates:
- “District-Level” Delegates
A majority of a state’s delegates are elected from local districts (usually congressional districts). Each district-level delegate must support a presidential candidate (or no specific candidate which is known as “uncommitted”). This is the first category of delegates to be selected in each state. - “At-Large” Delegates
These delegates are elected as state-wide delegates to represent presidential candidates in proportion to the state-wide vote the candidate received in the primary or caucus. These are the final group of delegates to be elected in every state. - “Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official”(PLEO) Delegates
These delegates are elected as state-wide delegates in proportion to the state-wide vote. These delegate positions are reserved for Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who are supporters of the presidential candidates. Individuals eligible for these delegate positions include: big-city mayors, state-wide elected officials, state legislative leaders, state legislators and other state, county and local Party leaders and elected officials.
As distinct from the pledged delegates, about 19% of the delegates at the Convention are automatic, “unpledged” delegates; the media often refers to these delegates as the “super delegates.” These individuals serve as delegates by virtue of a position of party leadership they have held, as explained below. While unpledged delegates may as a practical matter have a presidential preference and/or even publicly endorse a candidate, officially they serve at the Convention without being formally pledged to any candidate.
Unpledged delegates were created by the Party in 1982 for the 1984 Convention. In recommending the creation of unpledged delegates the Commission on Presidential Nomination (the Hunt Commission) sought a way to more effectively bring elected official and Party leader participation back into the Convention.
Collectively, unpledged delegates are a diverse group of individuals who come from all parts of the country and all walks of life. They include grassroots activists, county Party chairs, and local elected officials.
The following categories describe the individuals who are recognized as unpledged delegates:
- DNC Members
All of the members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) serve as unpledged delegates from their respective state or territory. This includes every State Democratic Party Chair and Vice Chair. Virtually all members of the DNC have been elected by their state party committees or Conventions, bodies of individuals who in turn have been elected by grassroots Democratic voters. These members of the DNC have earned their positions by doing the difficult, unglamorous work of building the party organization day in and day out, year after year – oftentimes when few others are paying attention. - Democratic Governors and Members of Congress
Every Democratic Governor is recognized as an unpledged delegate. As well, each Democratic member of the U.S. Senate and of the U.S. House of Representatives is also recognized as an unpledged delegate. - Distinguished Party Leaders
Several state delegations include individuals who serve as unpledged delegates because of an office they once held. Specifically, this category includes former Democratic Presidents and Vice Presidents, former Democratic Leaders of the United States Senate, former Democratic Speakers or Democratic Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, and former National and General Chairs of the DNC. - Add-on Unpledged Delegates
Each state also has an opportunity to include one or a small number of “Add-on” unpledged delegates within its delegation. These positions are intended to be filled by prominent individuals whom the state’s Democrats want to include as part of the delegation to the National Convention. Again, as unpledged delegates, these individuals serve because of their stature, rather than their presidential preference. States receive one Add-on unpledged delegate position for every four DNC members it elects. Click here to see the Add-on allocation by state. - Allocation
Except for the Add-on delegates as described above, the unpledged delegates are allocated to states and territories based on where an individual is registered to vote. Therefore, since these individuals might change, move, die or resign, state allocations of unpledged delegates are subject to change.
