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Democratic delegate rules, 2020
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Date: November 3, 2020 |
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Delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention selected Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee on August 18, 2020. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state, territory, or Democrats Abroad at the convention.
In 2020, there were 4,750 delegates: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegates—more commonly known as superdelegates.[1]
To win the Democratic nomination, a presidential candidate needed to receive support from a majority of the pledged delegates on the first ballot: 1,991 pledged delegates.[2][3]
If the convention was contested and went to a second ballot or more, automatic delegates—commonly referred to as superdelegates—were able to vote and a candidate must have received majority support from all delegates—2,375.5 votes. Previously, superdelegates were able to vote on the first ballot. This rule changed after the 2016 presidential election, when the Unity Reform Commission proposed several ways to reduce the number and power of superdelegates.[4][5] To learn more about the 2016 Democratic National Convention, click here.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, several states postponed their primaries. Under Rule 12 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, no primary or caucus was permitted to take place after June 9, 2020. Any state violating that rule could have been subject to delegate reduction penalties.
This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention and a summary of delegates by state. Election dates, delegate counts, and delegate allocation rules are subject to change as each state finalizes its delegation selection process. To see recent election and political coverage, view Ballotpedia's homepage.
Presidential nomination roll call
The following spreadsheet contains the number of delegates each candidate received during the presidential nomination roll call at the Democratic National Convention on August 18, 2020. It was updated live during the event.
Pledged delegate count
Delegate totals reflect the estimated allocation prior to candidate withdrawals or state party conventions. These estimates may differ from the delegate allocation announced at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Democratic presidential primaries 2020
|
Candidate
|
Pledged delegates
|
|
 |
Joe Biden | 2,708 |
 |
Bernie Sanders | 1,115 |
 |
Elizabeth Warren | 70 |
 |
Michael Bloomberg | 49 |
 |
Pete Buttigieg | 26 |
 |
Amy Klobuchar | 7 |
 |
Tulsi Gabbard | 2 |
 |
Total pledged delegates: 3,977 |
Click here to read Ballotpedia's most recent political coverage.
Delegate selection and allocation
Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state at their party's national nominating convention. They are typically party activists, local political leaders, or early supporters of a particular presidential candidate. They are either selected in primaries, caucuses, or local party conventions, or included because of their positions as elected representatives or members of the party leadership.[6]
The number of delegates awarded to each state is determined by a formula that factors the state's popular vote for the Democratic nominee in the previous three elections, the state's electoral votes, and when the state's primary is held.[7]
Each state has its own method for selecting delegates that may occur at the county, district, and/or state level. In some states, a voter directly votes for a presidential candidate in the presidential preference primary and delegates are separately chosen at party conventions.[8] In other states, a voter indirectly votes for a presidential candidate by supporting a delegate or delegates committed to him or her.[9]
Delegates are allocated proportionally based on the outcome of each state's primary contest. A candidate is typically only eligible to receive a share of the pledged delegates at stake if they win at least 15 percent of votes cast in a primary or caucus. That standard is referred to as the 15 percent threshold.[10] In addition to pledged delegates, there are alternate delegates for each state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad. Alternates attend the convention but do not vote unless a pledged delegate was unable to attend.[11][12]
Pledged vs. automatic delegates
Pledged delegates
Pledged delegates are elected during primaries, caucuses, or party conventions, and must express either a presidential candidate preference or an uncommitted preference as a condition of their election. Rule 13(J) of the Democratic National Committee defines a pledged delegate's responsibility:
| “ | Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.[13] | ” |
| —Rule 13(J), 2020 Delegate Selection Rules[11] | ||
There are three distinct types of pledged delegates:[14]
- Pledged district delegates are distributed and elected at the congressional or state legislative district level.
- Pledged at-large delegates are distributed and elected statewide.
- Pledged PLEO delegates are party leaders and elected officials. Pledged PLEO delegates are most often selected in a similar manner to at-large delegates.[14]
Automatic delegates
Automatic delegates are unpledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Automatic delegates, who are often called superdelegates, are not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate. Automatic delegates include members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, or distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. They are free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing.[14]
Following the 2016 presidential election, the Unity Reform Commission was formed to revise the Democratic nominating process, including reducing the number and power of automatic delegates.[15][16][17] At the conclusion of the party's national convention on August 25, 2018, officials voted to adopt a measure banning automatic delegates from voting on the first ballot at a contested national convention.[18]
Overview of Democratic pledged and automatic delegates by state
The map below compares delegate counts by state. A lighter shade of blue indicates a smaller number of delegates while a darker shade indicates a larger number.
The following chart lists the election type, delegate type breakdown, and total delegates for each state and territory.
Percentage of Democratic pledged delegates awarded over time
The following chart and table show the percentage of pledged delegates awarded over time following the primary or caucus of each state and territory. The percentage reflects the percentage of pledged delegates awarded by each date.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, several states have changed their presidential primary or caucus election dates and administrative procedures. As a result, the percentage of delegates allocated over time is subject to change.
Possible delegate penalties for postponing elections
Under Rule 12 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, no primary or caucus could take place after June 9, 2020. The rule says, in part, the following:[19]
| “ | No meetings, caucuses, conventions or primaries which constitute the first determining stage in the presidential nomination process (the date of the primary in primary states, and the date of the first tier caucus in caucus states) may be held prior to the first Tuesday in March or after the second Tuesday in June in the calendar year of the national convention.[13] | ” |
A memo sent to members of the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) in March 2020 said there could be penalties for postponing a primary past this date. The memo said, "If a state violates the rule on timing, or any other rule, they could be subject to penalties as prescribed in Rule 21, including at least a 50% reduction in delegates, which will need to be reviewed by the RBC."[20]
The memo also recommended state parties follow guidance from local health officials. It continued, "We acknowledge the situation is very different in every state and want to give state parties flexibility to adjust their plans to address their own situations and local guidance.”[20]
The calculation of bonus delegates, awarded for holding primaries later in the election cycle or with other regional states, could also be affected by changes to the election calendar. On April 10, 2020, political scientist Josh Putnam discussed the challenges of recalculating bonus delegates in a FiveThirtyEight article:
| “ |
In my conversations with DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee members, I have been told that recalculating the bonus delegates is not a high priority. And that is mainly because of the problems it introduces. Take Ohio, for example. District delegate slates were nominated there in January. So now all that’s left is plugging in the results of the April 28 primary to determine the share of delegates each candidate receives. This makes it hard to add delegates on the fly. The same is true of delegate penalties. In New York, district delegate candidates have already filed to be on the June 23 primary ballot. And while it’s true that delegate candidates with the lowest number of votes in a given district could lose their spots as part of a delegate penalty, that is just another complication that the DNC likely does not want to deal with.[13] |
” |
| —Josh Putnam (April 10, 2020)[21] | ||
What happens to delegates allocated to candidates who withdraw?
The Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention included two provisions regarding the binding of delegates to the candidates they supported at the time of their selection.[11]
| “ | No delegate at any level of the delegate selection process shall be mandated by law or Party rule to vote contrary to that person’s presidential choice as expressed at the time the delegate is elected.[13] | ” |
| —Rule 13.I (p. 14)[11] | ||
| “ | Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.[13] | ” |
| —Rule 13.J (p. 14)[11] | ||
Beyond this, the Delegate Selection Rules did not directly address how a candidate's withdrawal from the race before the convention affected the delegates pledged to that candidate. However, in 12 states, statutes established provisions for the release of delegates either upon a candidate's withdrawal or after a specific number of ballots had been taken at the national convention. The table below identifies these states. In the column titled "Candidate withdrawal or release provision," a "yes" indicates that the statute allowed for the release of pledged delegates either upon a candidate's withdrawal or at the explicit direction of the candidate. In the column titled "Multiple ballot provision," a "yes" indicates that the statute allowed for the release of a pledged delegate after a specific number of ballots had been taken at the convention (the number in parentheses indicates the ballot on which the delegates would be released). The full text of relevant statutes and their citations are also provided.
| What happens to delegates allocated to candidates who withdraw? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Candidate withdrawal or release provision | Multiple ballot provision | Statute | Citation |
| Arizona | Yes | Yes (second ballot) | At the political party national convention, each delegate to the national convention shall vote for the party's presidential nominee candidate who received the greatest number of votes in the presidential preference election until the candidate is nominated for the office of President of the United States by the convention, until the candidate releases the delegate from the delegate's obligation, until a candidate withdraws from the race or until one convention nominating ballot has been taken. After a candidate is nominated, withdraws from the race, delegates are released or one ballot is taken, each delegate is free to vote as the delegate chooses, and no rule may be adopted by a delegation requiring the delegation to vote as a body or causing the vote of any delegate to go uncounted or unreported. | Section 16-243 |
| Connecticut | Yes | No | If, subsequent to the primary, a candidate to whom one or more of such party's delegates are allocated either dies or files with the secretary a written statement, by him signed, to the effect that he has released all Connecticut delegates committed to him, the commitment of any such delegate to the candidate shall be deemed to have been released. | Section 9-485 |
| Georgia | Yes | No | Any delegate to a national convention whose presidential candidate withdraws after being entitled to delegate votes pursuant to this article shall be an unpledged delegate to the national convention. | Section 21-2-197 |
| Indiana | No | Yes (second ballot) | A delegate or alternate delegate selected from a congressional district to the national convention of a political party shall, on the first ballot at the national convention, support the candidate for President of the United States who received the highest number of votes in the congressional district at the primary election if the person is in fact a candidate at the convention. A delegate-at-large or alternate delegate-at-large to the national convention is not required to support a specific candidate for President on any ballot at the convention. | Section 3-8-3-11 |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes (second ballot) | Each political party shall, on the first ballot at its national convention, cast this Commonwealth's vote for the candidates as determined by the primary or party caucus and calculated under this section or under party rules, whichever is applicable. Provided, however, that in the event of the death or withdrawal of a candidate receiving votes under this section prior to the tabulation of the first ballot, any delegate votes allocated to such candidate shall be considered uncommitted. Withdrawal shall mean notice in writing by the candidate to the chairman of the Kentucky delegation prior to the first ballot. | Section 118.641 |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes (second ballot) | If there is a roll call vote for president at the national convention of a political party, all delegates and alternate delegates whose selection is subject by party rule to the approval of a presidential candidate shall vote on the first such roll call for that presidential candidate unless released by such candidate. | Section 701 |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes (second ballot) | A national convention delegate shall be bound to vote for the presidential candidate for whom he or she designated commitment, if any, under section 562b and as certified by the presidential candidate or the presidential candidate's designee under this section before the delegate is elected as a national delegate until the end of the first ballot at the national convention. However, a national convention delegate is released from that commitment by the withdrawal of that presidential candidate from contention for that party's nomination or by written release of that presidential candidate to the chairperson of the national convention, whichever is earliest. | Section 168.619 |
| Nebraska | Yes | Yes (third ballot) | Any person seeking to be elected as a delegate or alternate delegate to the national convention of a political party shall submit a filing form under this section regardless of the method of election used by the political party. The filing form for nomination of a candidate for election as a delegate or alternate delegate to the national convention of a political party shall (1) contain a statement of commitment to a candidate for the office of President of the United States or that he or she is uncommitted, (2) include a pledge swearing to support the candidate for President of the United States to which the candidate for delegate or alternate delegate to the national convention is committed until (a) such candidate receives less than thirty-five percent of the votes for nomination by such convention or releases the delegate from such commitment or (b) two convention nominating ballots have been taken, and (3) be filed with the Secretary of State. | Section 32-704 |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes (second ballot) | The provisions of this section with regard to the manner of voting by the New Mexico delegations at the national party conventions apply only to the first nominating ballot cast at such conventions. Such delegations may be released prior to the first ballot from voting in the manner provided by this section upon death of the candidate or upon his written unconditional release of such votes allotted to him. Any votes so released shall be cast in the manner of votes allotted to the uncommitted category. | Section 1-15A-9 |
| Oklahoma | Yes | No | Each delegate or alternate delegate to the national convention of his political party shall cast their vote on all ballots for the candidate who received this state's vote. If that candidate is for any reason no longer a candidate, the votes of the Oklahoma delegation shall be cast for any candidate of their choice. | Section 26-20-104 |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes (third ballot) | Each person selected as a delegate shall sign a pledge that the person will continue to support at the national convention the candidate for President of the United States the person is selected as favoring until: (a) The candidate is nominated at the convention; (b) The candidate receives less than 35 percent of the votes for nomination at the convention; (c) The candidate releases the delegate from the pledge; or (d) Two convention nominating ballots have been taken. | Section 248.315 |
| Tennessee | Yes | Yes (third ballot) | The results of the preferential presidential primary shall be binding on the delegates to the national conventions as provided in this section. The delegates to the national conventions shall be bound by the results of the preferential presidential primary for the first two (2) ballots and shall vote for the candidate to whom they are pledged as provided in § 2-13-307. The delegates shall thereafter be bound to support such candidate so long as the candidate, not to exceed two (2) ballots, has twenty percent (20%) of the total convention vote or until such time the candidate of their party releases them from the results of the presidential preference primary. | Section 2-13-317 |
Republican delegate rules
- See also: Republican delegate rules, 2020
The 2020 Republican presidential nominee will be selected by delegates to the Republican National Convention, which will be held August 24-27, 2020, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee and adopts a party platform. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state or territory at the convention.
In 2020, there were an estimated 2,551 delegates: 2,441 pledged delegates and 110 unpledged delegates.
To win the Republican nomination, a presidential candidate must receive support from a majority of delegates—an estimated 1,276 delegates.[22] Approximately two-thirds of pledged delegates, who are bound to vote on at least the first ballot at the national convention based on the results of their states' primary or caucus, will have been allocated by the end of March 2020.
This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention, their selection and allocation, and a summary of delegates by state.
Click here to learn more about 2016 Republican Party delegate rules by state.
See also
- Presidential candidates, 2020
- Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
- Republican presidential nomination, 2020
- Timeline of announcements in the presidential election, 2020
- Republican delegate rules by state, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Green Papers, "The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation 2020," accessed January 9, 2020
- ↑ The Democratic National Committee is calculating a majority as 50% plus one delegate.
- ↑ Twitter, "Josh Putnam," February 3, 2020
- ↑ Politico, "Kemp poised to spurn Trump on Georgia Senate pick," December 2, 2019
- ↑ The New York Times, "How to Win the Democratic Nomination, and Why It Could Get Complicated," February 22, 2020
- ↑ Council on Foreign Relations, "The Role of Delegates in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process," February 9, 2016
- ↑ Green Papers, "The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation," accessed April 24, 2019
- ↑ Vote Citrus, "Sample Ballot," accessed April 19, 2019
- ↑ Columbia County, "Sample Primary Ballot," accessed April 19, 2019
- ↑ If no candidate crosses the 15 percent threshold, it is lowered to half the percentage received by the frontrunner.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Democratic National Committee, "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention," accessed April 17, 2019
- ↑ Green Papers, "Democratic Delegate Allocation Math," accessed April 24, 2019
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "DNC 'unity' panel recommends huge cut in superdelegates," December 9, 2017
- ↑ NPR, "DNC Group Calls For Drastic Cut In 'Superdelegates' As Part Of Nomination Process," December 9, 2017
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "Who are the Democratic superdelegates?" May 5, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Democrats strip superdelegates of power in picking presidential nominee," August 25, 2018
- ↑ Democratic National Committee, "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention," accessed March 31, 2020
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 The Guardian, "States delaying primaries past 9 June may face delegate penalty, warns DNC memo," March 17, 2020
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "How Could All Those Primary Postponements Change The Delegate Math?" April 10, 2020
- ↑ The Green Papers, "Presidential Primaries 2020 Republican Delegate Allocation," accessed October 23, 2019
