Are the voters making their wishes known in choosing a GOP nominee for President?

The current process of allocating delegates in the GOP elections for President have been in place for years and the rules have been known by the candidates since the process began. Does the process possibly need some revamping possibly but it is within the authority of the states to decide what rules will be in place according to the Constitution. Recently there have been some questions raised regarding how delegates and their candidate choices are made and whether the voters in each state really have a voice.

In the beginning there were 17 GOP candidates running for President and voters have let their voices be heard as to whom they see as the potential GOP candidate for President. Over time the field has narrowed and today there are a total of three candidates remaining. As stated the states have the right to establish the rules regarding their election cycle and how delegates are elected and how they are allocated.

With the tightening of the race within the GOP issues have been raised as to the delegate allocation process in some states while in others not so much. Statements have been made that the current process of allocating delegates has not allowed the voters a voice. In this respect I disagree. The amount of votes a candidate receives in each particular state does not reflect the percentages a candidate receives in the elections held in each state. Individuals who cast their votes in any state are indicating their choice for the GOP nominee. In some states over 50% of voters have sent their message as to who they support but in other cases when a candidate receives less than 50% it is also sending a message.

Winning a state does not reflect voter choices especially if the percentage of difference between the candidates is close. In some states the number of delegates awarded is almost 50/50 while in other results the spread and allocation is significantly different. There may be some areas where some changes could be made in the current process but it is up to each individual state to decide what those changes should be per the Constitution. One question raised refers to the number of unbound delegates in some states and how this may affect the outcome of which individual becomes the GOP candidate for President.

Recent election results have redefined the race for the nomination and along with the percentage of the electorate/individuals voting in the elections/caucuses/primaries project their favorite candidate. Candidates who have found it hard to accumulate more than 50% of the votes in particular states do not signal the voters’ choice for a specific individual. In other instances a candidate who accumulates a greater percentage of votes in some cases significantly over 50% in some cases is sending a message as to their choice for the nomination.

While it may appear that I may be favoring one candidate over another it could not be further from the truth. Each candidate remaining in the race for the GOP nominee has distinct positions which may ultimately become a part of the GOP platform in this election. The information and situations presented in the preceding paragraph and this one are statements of fact.

Delegates both allocated and unbound have an important decision to make when they cast their votes at the GOP nominating convention in July. While typically it is expected that the candidate with the most delegates is anticipated to win the nomination the fact is according to some reports that the candidate with the most delegates does not always receive the nomination. One report has indicated that in 7 out of 10 conventions held to date the individual who becomes the nominee is not the delegate leader going into the convention.

The process in place regarding the selection of delegates has been in existence for years and complaining at this point about the delegation process across the states when the rules were known to all of the candidate’s lacks justification. Delegates should honor the election choices in their respective states and in most cases it is required but after the first round of votes many is released from their commitment. The most important decision to be made by the delegates is who has the best chance to win in November as reflected in the percentage of votes received by each candidate in all the state elections. The process truly reflects the voice of the voters. The votes received by the candidates are a reflection of voter involvement and a recommendation for the delegates of the state as to the candidate choice from their respective state.