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Should the person with the most votes win?


nappyroots

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In most jurisdictions and elections, to win you have to get the "most votes" or as it means in elections, more than 50% of the vote. When you do, you win. 

Donald Trump may or may not get there. If not it goes to a runoff much as we are currently doing in Jefferson County in the sheriff primary. Zena Stephens got the most votes (by almost 1,000) but Joe Stephenson was in second place. Even though she got the "most votes", she is not the winner.  We now have a runoff for the final spot in a few days. Should Zena just be given the win because she got the most? I wonder if the second place finisher, Democrat Joe Stevenson agrees with Ted Cruz or is he willing to simply quit in the runoff because Zena got the "most votes"?

Even our presidential election has the same rules. If no person gets more than 50% of the delegates (electoral college) then it goes to a runoff in the House of Representatives. 

Bear in mind that the primary elections are not part of the government run election system. It is a political party that can choose anyone in any manner it wants. Any party can place a person in nomination for the presidency. In fact every election several parties place people on the ballots in at least some states. Within the law as set out in the Constitution (35 years old and natural born citizen), anyone can run. A party gets to set its own rules on how it wants to choose its candidate. 

If a person doesn't like the rules of a party, he/she can feel free to run elsewhere or get enough people in the party to agree to change the rules. A party gets to choose in the manner that it sees fit to choose its candidate that it wants to represent it. Who the "establishment" wants to win can be whatever it wants. So much is made of the fairness of the two biggest parties, Republicans and Democrats. For example, what if fair about so many super delegates in the Democratic Party? In the spirit of true democracy it isn't fair but a party is not part of the government. If the Democratic Party wants to try insure that a Bernie Sanders kind of person doesn't win, that is their business.The primary elections and party conventions are to select a person that the party thinks can win under the rules that they get to set. 

Just like the presidential election and just like the runoff in a few days in Jefferson County for the sheriff race, the "most votes" means 50% are more and not simply a plurality. It works the same in the RNC and the DNC just as it does for most other elections in this country. To think or say otherwise is a smoke screen for someone that either doesn't like the results or simply wants to trash a person or party..... when in fact the person that is supported by the person making the claim is under the same rules. 

When someone in the RNC get the most votes (more than 50%), they will be the winner. Ted Cruz is entirely correct just as the DNC will do, just as the presidential election will do and just like we will do in the Democrat runoff in Jefferson County to see who will be on the ballot in the general election this coming November.

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2 hours ago, REBgp said:

Should most votes win?   Different in this primary business.   For instance, Trump won 89 delegates in NY.   Cruz won 36 delegates in Wisconsin.  But the kicker is, Cruz got more votes in Wisconsin than Trump got in New York.  Primaries are about delegates, not votes.  

Right and the presidential election is in November.

and what keep a delegate from switching his vote?

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6 hours ago, bulldogbacker said:

Right and the presidential election is in November.

and what keep a delegate from switching his vote?

I'm ashamed to say I know little of what goes on in a contested convention.   If Trump doesn't get it, maybe I'll learn something.   

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