What happened last night at the nomination vote?
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Last night’s roll call vote at the Republican National Convention, in which Donald Trump was formally declared the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, generated a lot of fanfare and enthusiasm among the party’s base—but it was also the source of some confusion.
The problem was that, at times, the official roll call vote recorded by the secretary of the convention differed from what the delegation actually reported or from how the delegates were originally bound and allocated to the candidates.
For example, in Arkansas’ primary election on March 1, 2016, Trump won 16 delegates, Ted Cruz won 15, and Marco Rubio won nine. But in the roll call vote at the convention, the Arkansas delegation chairman reported 25 votes for Trump and 15 for Cruz. The convention secretary reported the same.
Alaska offers another example. The Alaska delegation chairman reported 11 votes for Trump, 12 for Cruz, and five for Rubio—the same as Alaska’s original allocation as dictated by the results of its March 1 caucuses. But the convention secretary—despite a challenge from the Alaska delegation—recorded 28 votes for Trump.
The key to understanding all of these discrepancies is to understand that while national party rules (specifically Rule 16a2) require delegates to be bound by the results of their state’s primary election or caucus, the individual state party rules dictate the nuances of how the delegates are bound, including what happens if a candidate leaves the race or if only one candidate’s name is placed in nomination at the convention. The convention requires those state rules to be followed during the roll call vote.
Below, Ballotpedia breaks down all of these discrepancies and explains what happened. First, we have a table that compares the official recorded roll call vote, the vote reported by the state or territorial delegation chairman on the floor of the convention, and the original allocation as determined by the results of state primary elections and caucuses. States where there were discrepancies are highlighted. Beneath the table, we point out the relevant state party rules for delegations where some sort of discrepancy between the numbers exists.
Roll call vote
State party rules
Alaska:
Relevant Alaska GOP rule: “If a Qualified Presidential Candidate drops out prior to the Republican State Convention, the percentage of national delegates pledged to that candidate shall be reapportioned among the Qualified Presidential Candidates.”
The words “drop out” are tricky, since most candidates don’t actually “drop out” of the race—instead, they “suspend” their campaigns. The convention chair and secretary, however, hold the authority to interpret the meanings of these words.
Arkansas:
Relevant Arkansas GOP rule: “Delegates and Alternates shall remain committed to the Presidential Candidate designated on their filing form through the first ballot unless they are released by their designated Presidential Candidate prior to the first ballot or their Candidate withdraws.”
Washington, D.C.:
Relevant D.C. GOP rule: “[I]f only one candidate’s name is placed in nomination at the Republican National Convention, all delegates shall be bound to vote for such candidate on the first ballot provided that the candidate received votes in the DC presidential preference poll.”
Iowa:
- See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Iowa, 2016
Relevant Iowa GOP rule: “[I]f only one candidate’s name is placed in nomination at the Republican National Convention, all delegates shall be bound to vote for such candidate on the first ballot provided that the candidate received votes in the Iowa Caucuses.”
Louisiana:
Relevant Louisiana GOP rule: “If a presidential candidate ends or suspends his/her candidacy, the designated delegates are no longer bound.”
Michigan:
Relevant Michigan GOP rule: "Notwithstanding any provision in these Rules to the contrary, if at any time (even after the conclusion of the State Convention or during the National Convention), a Republican presidential candidate, who takes any of the following actions, shall not be allocated and/or lose any delegates and alternate delegates that he/she may have otherwise been allocated pursuant to these Rules:
- (1) Publicly withdraws from contention as a Republican candidate for President of the United States.
- (2) Suspends his or her campaign as a Republican candidate for President of the United States.
- (3) Endorses another candidate for President of the United States.
- (4) Seeks the nomination of a political party other than the Republican Party for any political office."
Missouri:
Relevant Missouri GOP rule: “In the event that a candidate receives a majority of votes cast in the 2016 Missouri Republican Presidential Preference Primary, all delegates and alternates to the 2016 Republican National Convention will be bound through the first round of balloting to support the winner of the 2016 Missouri Republican Presidential Preference Primary unless that candidate releases his or her delegates, dies, withdraws or becomes inactive. For the purposes of this document, votes cast for any candidate who releases his or her delegates, dies, withdraws or becomes inactive prior to the 2016 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary will not be included in the calculation of the majority vote.”
Nevada:
Relevant Nevada GOP rule: "National Delegates and Alternates bound to any candidate who withdraws, suspends, or otherwise discontinues their campaign at any time following the Nevada Republican Convention but prior to the Republican National Convention shall be released from their commitment to that candidate and may vote as they choose on the first and any subsequent candidate votes at the Republican National Convention. For the purposes of these rules, a candidate shall be considered to have discontinued his or her campaign should they file with the Federal Election Commission to terminate their campaign, publicly endorse another candidate in the race, publicly release their delegates, or make a public statement indicating that they have “suspended” their campaign such that they will otherwise no longer be actively seeking the Office of President."
Oklahoma:
Relevant Oklahoma GOP rule: "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."
Oregon:
Relevant Oregon GOP rule: "Candidates for delegate and alternate to the Republican National Convention must state which Presidential Preference Primary candidate they favor, and will be listed as running for one of the delegate positions assigned to that presidential candidate. Each person selected as a delegate or alternate shall sign a pledge that he/she shall vote at the National Convention for the candidate for the President of the United States he/she favors until the candidate is:
- (1) nominated;
- (2) receives less than 35% of the votes for nomination at the convention;
- (3) releases the delegate from the pledge; or
- (4) until two convention nominating ballots have been taken.
Should a delegate or alternate refuse to cast his/her vote in accordance with this pledge, as required by both the Bylaws of the Oregon Republican Party Central Committee and the Oregon Revised Statues [sic], the Chairman of the Oregon delegation to the National Convention shall report to the convention floor that delegate’s vote in accordance with such laws and rules until such time as that delegate is released from his/her pledge."
Utah:
- See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Utah, 2016
Relevant Utah GOP rule: “If a candidate who was allocated delegates is not a candidate at the national convention according to the rules of that convention, then all the delegates shall be re-allocated and bound to the remaining candidates in accordance to the rules in this section.”
Vermont:
Relevant Vermont GOP rule: “Delegates and Alternates shall be released if their candidate is not placed into nomination at the Republican National Convention, suspends his or her campaign, or withdraws.”
See also
- What happened with Utah, Nevada, Alaska, and D.C. at the convention tonight?
- Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
- Mike Pence vice presidential campaign, 2016
- Republican National Convention, 2016
