Minnesota GOP finalizes process for electing delegates to convention

The Republican Party of Minnesota has finalized the process by which delegates will be elected to the Republican National Convention in 2016.

All delegates from Minnesota to the Republican National Convention in 2016 will be elected proportionately and bound to the winners of the presidential preference ballot at Republican precinct caucuses on March 1, 2016 for the first round of balloting.

Minnesota Republicans will send 38 delegates next year to the Republican National Convention. Three delegates will be elected at conventions held in each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts (24 total delegates) and 11 delegates will be elected at the Republican Party of Minnesota's State Convention. The final three delegates are reserved for the chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota, the Republican National Committeeman and the Republican National Committeewoman from Minnesota.

Delegates elected at the congressional district conventions will be allocated based on the presidential preference ballot results in each congressional district - 24 total delegates.

All delegates elected at the Republican Party of Minnesota State Convention will be allocated based on the statewide results of the presidential preference ballot, as will the three delegates reserved for the chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota, the Republican National Committeeman and the Republican National Committeewoman from Minnesota - 14 total delegates.

Anyone running to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention is required to state the presidential candidate they will support and a presidential candidate must win at least 10 percent statewide or within a congressional district to be awarded any delegates.

Current language in both the bylaws and constitution of the Republican Party of Minnesota seems to prohibit the binding of any delegates not elected at the Republican Party of Minnesota State Convention.

Party officials I spoke with about the delegate election process did not express any sense of urgency in updating party governing documents to reflect the new procedure for electing delegates.

Earlier this year, the Republican Party of Minnesota was denied a waiver by the Republican National Committee from rules governing the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Specifically, officials with the Republican Party of Minnesota did not want to bind Minnesota delegates to support the winners of the presidential preference ballot at Republican precinct caucuses.

Rule changes made at the 2012 Republican National Convention and later amended by the RNC, require that the results of the presidential preference ballot at Republican precinct caucuses "must be used to allocate and bind the state's delegation to the national convention in either a proportional or winner-take-all manner."

The Democratic National Convention in 2016 will be held in Philadelphia (Wells Fargo Center and Pennsylvania Convention Center) and Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena) will host the Republican National Convention.

Below are three documents provided by the Republican Party of Minnesota with additional information on how delegates will be elected to the Republican National Convention.

Picture source: Quicken Loans Arena

Republican Party of Minnesota - National Delegates Allocation Process by Michael Brodkorb

Republican Party of Minnesota - Overview of National Delegates Allocation Process by Michael Brodkorb

Republican Party of Minnesota - Straw Poll Scenarios for National Delegates Allocation by Michael Brodkorb