The race for our next President has been a complex and unpredictable journey. Both sides have had a tough race and they still have a long journey ahead, especially on the Republican side. Being an informed voter is important, but can sometimes be tough because we don’t have time to keep up with the constant changes. Here is the breakdown of everything you need to know to catch up on the presidential race.
Courtesy: Vote for Fun
1. Delegates
Delegates are given based on the Primary or caucus in each state. In the Republican Party, there are Bound and Unbound delegates that vote for the nominee. If a delegate is bound that means that they must vote on the candidate that has either won the primary or the delegates vote proportionally. Each state has three unbound delegates that can vote however they want. Democratic delegates are either pledged or superdelegates. Pledged delegates vote according to their state primary or caucus while superdelegates can vote for whom ever they want.
2. Frontrunners
As of right now, Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton are the two top candidates. In the Republican Party, Trump leads with 736 delegates; Ted Cruz is behind him with 463 and finally John Kasich trailing with 143. 1,237 delegates are needed in order to be the automatic nominee for the Republicans and 839 are still up for grabs. To become the Democratic nominee 2,382 delegates are needed. Clinton leads the Democrats with 1,712 delegates and Bernie Sanders has 1,011. 2,440 delegates are still up for grabs for the Democrats and 1,315 superdelegates available.
3. National Conventions
Each party holds a National Convention in order to formally nominate their Presidential Nominee. All of the delegates cast their final votes and decide who will be representing the party. If there is not a candidate who has met the needed number of delegates to be the automatic nominee then an open convention will be held and the delegates will vote for whomever they believe should be the nominee. The Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18-21. The Democrats will hold their convention on July 25-28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With many delegates still available on both sides, who will be the Presidential nominees is still up in the air. But with many important issues dependent on whom our next President is, knowing how the process works is especially important to Collegiettes everywhere.