If anyone still believes their vote counts, Fox News pundit Eric Bolling is about to burst your bubble, because this is what to expect if the Republican primary goes to a contested convention.
When discussing the upcoming convention, he stated, “I don’t fully trust that the people’s vote – your vote – will be honored, but at least they know we’re watching what they’re doing.”
Right now, a candidate cannot be considered for the nomination if he or she has not won the majority of delegates in eight or more states. This rule was added to the RNC convention rules in 2012.
If neither candidate secures the minimum 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination, then there will be a contested convention. Delegates will vote on a first ballot of which most are locked into the candidate who won their respective state primary (or his or her share of the delegates in proportional states).
The goal is to acquire the remaining unbound delegates. If a candidate doesn’t get 50 percent of the delegates after the first ballot, then there is a second ballot.
The second ballot allows more freedom by the delegates, as many of them are no longer required to vote for the candidate that won the delegates in the primary.
If a candidate does not get the majority of votes on the second ballot, then a third, fourth, fifth, etc. ballots are cast until a candidate wins a majority of delegates. This is the part where we get angry…
One week before the convention, the Republican Nation Rules Committee meets and can change the rules. If the rule changes are significant, they must be ratified by the delegates on the first day of the convention. The person in charge of determining whether or not the changes are significant is RNC Chair Paul Ryan.
However, if 50 percent of delegates think a rule change is significant enough for ratification, then Paul Ryan can be overruled. Ultimately, once this election goes to convention, the outcome is completely out of our hands.
For Trump supporters, this is a major concern because Cruz already has his ground game in play to lock up the at-large delegates as well as delegates after the first vote.
Cruz supporters are just as uneasy, because the rules committee could completely change the rules so anyone can win the nomination, even if they were not in the primary race.
If this were to happen, an “establishment” candidate could be inserted to hijack the nomination away from both Trump and Cruz, the two candidates that have garnered the most support thus far in this election.