Texas Dual Delegate Nomination System Simplified
By Martin Bartlett
EL PASO — Early voting continued Wednesday for the Texas Primary elections, and because the state operates both a primary and caucus electoral system, Democrats in the state may get to cast more than one ‘vote’for a presidential nominee.
Many voters in Texas are unaware that thedual primary/caucus system exists in the state. It is a rarity and a complex system for apportioning delegates.
“I wasn’t aware of that — I didn’t know that Texas had a caucus,” said one voter.
Voters can cast a ballot during early voting or on election day in the Texas Democratic Primary and poll workers will stamp a voter registration card or give a receipt.
Once the polls close on election day, voters can take their stamped cards or receipts back to that designated polling place and, through a show of hands, cast ‘another’ vote for who should receive the nomination.
The primary allows for the selection of one set of delegates. The caucus is for selecting a different set. The process can seem a little confusing and some voters were unsure of how to proceed.
“I’ve voted in El Paso since 1960 and I’ve never gone to a caucus yet,” another voter said.
The state has 288 Democratic delegates up for grabs in this election so the dual systems can be beneficial and confusing for determining whom the state favors in the run towards the general elections in November.
Of the total, 35 are unpledged ‘superdelegates,’ party leaders who can vote for whomever they choose. The remaining 193 delegates are directed by the votes of the everyday Texas voter.
Approximately half of the total are decided at the caucuses, the rest by primary voters. Of the 67 delegates chosen at the caucus, 25 are ‘superdelegates’, the other 42 are considered regular delegates. Yet all of them must vote according to the direction of caucus-goers.
So, for those who only vote in the primary, they are only getting a say in about half of the nomination process.
The breakdown is so daunting and confusing that even several of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s staffers said they were in tears trying to figure out the ‘Texas Two-Step.’
