Here is how it works:
Each party has candidates, but can only have one run for president. They have primaries and caucuses to select the one.
The primaries are elections by the population, caucuses are like a convention where only the people who attend vote.
Now each state is also given a cirtain number of delegates which are people who applied and are chosen to vote for the state.
If no candidate wins more than 51% of the vote, the delegates can vote for whichever candidate they choose. So it really is anyones race in the Republican party because in most of the states, no candidate won more than 51% of the votes, so no one got any delegates despite what the media will try to tell you or put on their website. Unless the state is a winner takes all, but even then there are exceptions online polling as you will see in my examples below.
Now the delegates can be anyone who applies and is chosen then goes to the Republican convention to vote as a delegate.
Here is are two examples. One of a primary and one of a caucus.:
Florida has about 57 delegates allowed to their state for the Republican party. The candidates for the Republican party were McCain, Romney, Guiliani, Huckabee and Paul. Florida does a primary election instead of a caucus, so the general public gets to choose who the delegates will vote for. But since no one candidate recieved 51% or more of the votes the delegates in Florida are open to vote for whomever they want. So again despite what the media says, no one was assigned any delegates in Florida and any of the candidates can recieve all of the delegate votes. So in Florida Ron Paul has just as much of a chance to get all the delegate's votes as McCain.
West Virginia has about 18 delegates allowed to their state for the Republican party. They use a caucus instead of a primary. In their caucus they had to vote twice because no one gained more than 51% of the vote the first time and in that state it is winner takes all in regards to the delegate votes. So, they voted online polling system a second time and Huckabee won more than 51% of the votes. But regardless of it being a winner take all, Huckabee decided to give Ron Paul 3 of his 18 delegates. So both Huckabee and Paul benefited in this caucus.
I hope I explained in easy enough for you and others to understand.
Each party has candidates, but can only have one run for president. They have primaries and caucuses to select the one.
The primaries are elections by the population, caucuses are like a convention where only the people who attend vote.
Now each state is also given a cirtain number of delegates which are people who applied and are chosen to vote for the state.
If no candidate wins more than 51% of the vote, the delegates can vote for whichever candidate they choose. So it really is anyones race in the Republican party because in most of the states, no candidate won more than 51% of the votes, so no one got any delegates despite what the media will try to tell you or put on their website. Unless the state is a winner takes all, but even then there are exceptions online polling as you will see in my examples below.
Now the delegates can be anyone who applies and is chosen then goes to the Republican convention to vote as a delegate.
Here is are two examples. One of a primary and one of a caucus.:
Florida has about 57 delegates allowed to their state for the Republican party. The candidates for the Republican party were McCain, Romney, Guiliani, Huckabee and Paul. Florida does a primary election instead of a caucus, so the general public gets to choose who the delegates will vote for. But since no one candidate recieved 51% or more of the votes the delegates in Florida are open to vote for whomever they want. So again despite what the media says, no one was assigned any delegates in Florida and any of the candidates can recieve all of the delegate votes. So in Florida Ron Paul has just as much of a chance to get all the delegate's votes as McCain.
West Virginia has about 18 delegates allowed to their state for the Republican party. They use a caucus instead of a primary. In their caucus they had to vote twice because no one gained more than 51% of the vote the first time and in that state it is winner takes all in regards to the delegate votes. So, they voted online polling system a second time and Huckabee won more than 51% of the votes. But regardless of it being a winner take all, Huckabee decided to give Ron Paul 3 of his 18 delegates. So both Huckabee and Paul benefited in this caucus.
I hope I explained in easy enough for you and others to understand.