RNC delegate guidelines from South Carolina, 2016

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2016 Republican National Convention

Date July 18-21, 2016 Location Cleveland, Ohio

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Delegates

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This page provides known guidelines for Republican delegates representing South Carolina at the 2016 Republican National Convention, as compiled from the "2015 Resolution Regarding Election of Delegates and Alternates to the 2016 Republican National Convention" and "The Rules of the South Carolina Republican Party." The full text of relevant regulations is reproduced below.

HIGHLIGHTS

South Carolina sent 50 delegates to the Republican National Convention in 2016: three automatic delegates from the Republican National Committee, 21 congressional district delegates, and 26 at-large delegates.

All delegates were bound on the first ballot at the national convention by the results of the presidential preference primary.

For decades, the South Carolina GOP has required presidential candidates to pledge loyalty to the party’s future nominee in order to qualify for the primary ballot. South Carolina Republican Party chairman Matt Moore noted that disavowing this pledge could result in the forfeiture of delegates. He said, “Breaking South Carolina’s presidential-primary-ballot pledge raises some unanswered legal questions that no one person can answer. However, a court or national convention Committee on Contests could resolve them. It could put delegates in jeopardy."

South Carolina Republican Party Resolutions

The text below has been reproduced verbatim from: 2015 Resolution Regarding Election of Delegates and Alternates to the 2016 Republican National Convention

Regarding Election of Delegates and Alternates to the 2016 Republican National Convention

Passed by the State Executive Committee – August 22, 2015

WHEREAS, the South Carolina Republican Party will hold its State Convention in May 2016, in accordance with Republican National Committee Rules; and WHEREAS, South Carolina is currently projected to have 50 Delegates and 47 Alternates to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that County Conventions may reconvene as necessary during the month of March, 2016 to elect Delegates and Alternates to the Congressional District Conventions; and

THAT, to be a Delegate or Alternate to a Congressional District Convention, one must have been elected as State Delegate or State Alternate from their county to the 2015 State Convention; and

THAT, a Delegate to the Congressional District Convention must be a resident of the Congressional District, and must be elected by County Convention Delegates who are also residents of the same Congressional District; and

THAT, if a county is divided between two or more Congressional Districts, the number of State Convention Delegates shall be apportioned among the Districts as nearly as possible based on the population residing in each Congressional District as a percentage of the entire population of the county; and

THAT, District Conventions must convene during the month of April, 2016 to elect National Delegates and National Alternates; and

THAT, each Congressional District Delegate may vote for up to six (6) candidates for delegate, with the three (3) candidates receiving the highest number of votes being the National Delegates from that District, and the following three (3) being National Alternates from that District; and

THAT, at each Congressional District Convention, a total of three (3) National Delegates and (3) National Alternates shall be elected for a total of twenty-one (21) National Delegates and (21) National Alternates statewide; and

THAT, the State Convention must convene during the month of May, 2016 to elect National Delegates and National Alternates; and

THAT, to be a Delegate or Alternate to the State Convention, one must have been elected as State Delegate or State Alternate from their county to the 2015 State Convention; and

THAT, twenty-six (26) National Delegates and twenty-six (26) National Alternates will be elected at-large from the State Convention; and

THAT, each State Delegate may vote for up to fifty-two (52) candidates for National Delegate. The twenty-six (26) candidates receiving the highest number of votes are National Delegates, and the following twenty-six (26) are National Alternates; and

THAT, no person elected at a Congressional District Convention to be a National Delegate or National Alternate shall be eligible to be a candidate for selection as a Delegate or Alternate to be voted for at a State Convention unless such person has filed and placed in possession of his or her Congressional District Chairman or his designee by twelve (12) o'clock on the third (3rd) day before the day fixed for the meeting of the State Convention a written notice of his resignation as such Delegate or Alternate from such Congressional District; and

THAT, under Republican National Committee Rules, the State Chairman, National Committeeman, and National Committeewoman are automatic National Delegates and are awarded no National Alternates; and

THAT, within four weeks of the election of National Delegates and Alternates, the party Chairman must call a meeting of all National Delegates and National Alternates to organize the Republican National Convention Delegation from South Carolina; and

THAT, the Delegation shall elect a Delegation Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary and is declared a body unto itself, to be governed by its own actions, not inconsistent with Republican National Convention rules; and

THAT, the Delegation shall elect one (1) man and one (1) woman to represent South Carolina on each of the four (4) National Convention committees and that upon their election these names shall be filed with the Republican National Convention.

The Rules of the South Carolina Republican Party

The text below has been reproduced verbatim from: The Rules of the South Carolina Republican Party

Rule 7: State Organization

(b) Convention Proceedings

(7) Election of Delegates to National Convention

(a) No person shall be allowed to run for Delegate-at-large or Alternate-at- large to the National Convention who is not a state delegate or alternate to the state convention. Each candidate for election as such Delegate-at-large shall file with and place in the possession of the state chairman before twelve (12) o’clock noon on the seventh day before the day fixed for the meeting of the state convention the proper notice as directed by the state Chairman. The state chairman shall provide such convention with a list of such candidates.

(b) No person elected at a congressional district convention to be a delegate or alternate shall be eligible to be a candidate for selection as a delegate or alternate to be voted for at a state convention unless such person has filed and placed in possession of his congressional district chairman or his designee by twelve (12) o'clock on the third (3rd) day before the day fixed for the meeting of the state convention a written notice of his resignation as such delegate or alternate from such congressional district.

(c) The election of such delegates-at-large and alternates-at-large shall be made by vote of the state convention by ballot upon which shall be listed all such candidates for the office of delegate-at-large.

(d) Each delegate to the state convention may vote for a number of such candidates not exceeding twice the number of such delegates-at-large to be elected by the state convention. Those candidates receiving the most votes shall be elected delegates-at-large, and those candidates receiving next highest number of votes shall be elected alternates-at-large.

(e) A record of the vote at the convention shall be retained by the state chairman. Such record shall consist of a list of the candidates arranged in the order of the number of votes received by them, with the candidate receiving the greatest number ranked first, and candidates with fewer votes ranked in descending order of the number of votes received by each in succession. The number of votes received by each candidate also shall be shown on said list. In the case of a tie, the position of the tying candidates on the list shall be determined by drawing lots.

(f) In the event a delegate-at-large or alternate-at-large elected at the state convention resigns his position by giving notice in writing to the state chairman before the organizational meeting provided for in these rules to be called of all delegates and alternates elected to the national convention, the next highest ranked candidate on the record of the vote at the State Convention willing to serve shall fill such vacancy and his position shall be similarly filled, and the state chairman shall promptly notify the affected candidates.

(g) Within (4) four weeks after the election of the delegates and alternates, it shall be the responsibility of the State Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party to call a meeting of all delegates and alternates elected to the National Convention for the purpose of organizing the delegation. At this time, acting under the leadership of the State Chairman, the delegates shall proceed to elect a delegation chairman, a delegation vice-chairman, and a delegation secretary. At this point in time, the National Convention delegation becomes a body unto itself and shall be governed by its own actions not inconsistent with the rules of the Republican National Convention.

(h) In the event one or more delegates-at-large or alternates-at-large cannot attend the national convention, and such fact is made known by the delegate in writing to the chairman of the delegation, all candidates lower on the convention-vote record shall be considered elected to the office which their new position on the convention-vote record has entitled them. Once the credentials committee adopts the official roll at the convention, vacancies shall be filled in numerical order as provided in these rules.

(i) In a national convention, in the absence of any delegate-at-large, his place shall be filled from alternates in the following order: Alternate-at- large in the order listed; district alternates in the assigned order of districts (said order having been determined prior to the opening of the convention by lot at a caucus attended by the highest ranking member from each district) and in the order listed within districts.

(j) In the absence of a delegate from any congressional district, his place shall be taken by an alternate in the following order: alternates from the same district in the order listed; alternates-at-large in the order listed; district alternates from other districts in numerical order and in the order named within the districts. Provided further, however, that with the written notice to the chairman of the delegation, any delegate-at-large, already present at the national convention, shall select any alternate-at-large to represent him in his temporary absence, which shall not exceed one convention session in each instance, and any district delegate, already present at the convention, may select a district alternate from the same district to represent him, his temporary absence not to exceed one convention session in each instance.

Rule 11: Nomination of Candidates

(b) The Presidential Preference Primary

(1) Unless decided otherwise by the state party convention within two (2) years prior to each presidential election year, the South Carolina Republican Party shall conduct a statewide presidential preference primary on a date selected by the chairman of the party and this date must be within two weeks after the New Hampshire Republican Primary, or earlier if necessary to preserve South Carolina’s “First in the South” status. Notwithstanding this provision, the State Chairman and the State Executive Committee have the right to set the primary date.

(2) In the event that the convention decides not to hold a primary, and circumstances surrounding the presidential election shall have substantially changed such that a primary would be deemed advisable, the state executive committee, prior to January 15 of the presidential election year, may override the decision of the convention and reinstate the primary.

(3) If, however, after the closing of the filing period for the presidential preference primary no more than one candidate has qualified, no presidential preference primary shall be held.

(4) Each congressional district delegate from South Carolina to the ensuing Republican National Convention shall be bound during the first ballot at the convention to the presidential candidate who received the greatest number of votes in that particular delegate's home district during the presidential preference primary. If the candidate who received the greatest number of votes in that particular delegate’s home district is not placed in nomination, a delegate must then be bound to the congressional district’s second or third place finisher in the presidential preference primary, respectively. If none of the top three finishers in the congressional district presidential preference primary are placed in nomination, delegates shall be unbound.

(5) Each delegate-at-large shall be bound for the first ballot to the candidate who received the largest number of votes statewide in the presidential preference primary. If the candidate who receives the greatest number of statewide votes in the presidential preference primary is not placed in nomination, a delegate must then be bound to the state’s second or third place finisher in the presidential preference primary, respectively. If none of the top three finishers in the statewide presidential preference primary are placed in nomination, delegates shall be unbound.

(6) All other details pertaining to this presidential preference primary shall be the responsibility of the state executive committee.

See also

• Republican National Committee
• Republican National Convention rules, 2012
• Republican National Convention, 2016
• Types of delegates
• Presidential election in South Carolina, 2016