Courtesy of M. Stanley

Trying to understand a seemingly complicated process, the following information has been gathered with hope that it will be of some help in getting others to join in the effort of getting our next president elected.  I am in no way an expert on the matter, just merely passing on information that can be time consuming to get answers to.)  Here is what I understand to be the way the process works:

In order to become a President of the United States of America you must first become a presidential candidate.  In order to become a presidential candidate you must first be nominated by a party to represent them as their candidate.  In order to get nominated by a party to represent them that party must first go through a long drawn out way of electing delegates who they will send to the party’s national convention to vote for who they think should be the best person to represent their party as a presidential candidate.  It is these delegates alone who have the final say in who the party’s presidential candidate will be.
In order for any Republican presidential candidate to receive the nomination of the republican party for the presidential election of 2012, they have to gain the votes of at least 1144 delegates at this year’s Republican National Convention (to be held in Tampa Bay, Florida August 27th trough 30th.)
Arkansas has a total of 36 delegate positions to fill to send to the Republican National Convention where they will cast their vote in the process to nominate the next Republican Presidential Candidate.  These 36 delegates are broken into three different categories:

12 Congressional District (CD) Delegates  (there are 4 congressional districts in AR and each will elect 3 CD delegates)

21 At Large (AL) Delegates (to be elected at the state level)

3 Republican National Committee (RNC) Members (these are not voted on but more like appointed)

There will also be alternate delegates which will have to be elected as well for each category equaling a total of  33  alternate delegates ( RNC members do not have alternates.)

Process to becoming a CD delegate, AL delegate, or alternate delegate:

To be a delegate you have to first be a member of your County Republican Party  in the county you are registered to vote in. If you are not, this is how you become a member of the committee (remember to check with the county chairman of your county’s Republican Party as each may be different in some way):

Step 1.  File at the Court House between noon, Thursday, Feb. 23rd and noon, Thursday, Mar. 1st.  (filing fee-$50 may be different)  Just so you are not caught off guard like I was be prepared to have your purse searched and walk through a scanner.  Here are more details from the  Garland County Republican Party web site on how to file.

 A reminder that the Filing Period opens this coming Thursday, February 23rd at 12 noon and continues for one week, closing at 12 noon on March 1st.

Your membership is good for one year. Some committees have vote in requirements that require meeting attendance and a procedural vote.

Once you are a member of the GCRP you may then choose to run as a CD Delegate or AL Delegate or an alternate of either.

If you wish, you may run for both kinds of delegates by starting out running for CD delegate and alternate at the county and district levels.  Then if you don’t make it you can try out for the AL delegates and alternates at the state level.
Step 4.  To become a CD delegate candidate you must show up at the Special County Convention meeting which will be held somewhere between April 23rd to May This meeting is strictly for selecting delegates to send to the Special District meeting where they will select the 3 CD delegates and 3 alternates to send to the National convention, each county is allocated a certain number of delegates to go to the special District committee meeting. o All members of the County Republican Committee must attend the Special County Convention meeting to vote for their delegate. Anyone can choose to be a delegate to the district meeting by having someone nominate them, (someone stands and says “I nominate ….. to be a delegate to the district convention”.  As long as the number of people wanting to be delegates does not exceed the number of slots allowed by our county, then it is pretty much a sure thing that you will proceed to the next level.  However if there are more people wanting to be delegates than there are openings, there will have to be a selecting process to bring it down to the number allowed.  Members have to be present to vote at this meeting.  There is no filing fee to be this kind of delegate.  This simple makes it so that you getting to be a voting member at the district meeting where they will be voting on whom they send to the national convention.    Note: This is also why you will not be advertising at this meeting which presidential candidate you will be supporting.

Step 5. Once your county has selected you as a delegate to the district convention you will then have to decide if you want to run for a CD delegate and/or AL delegate (you do not have to run for either but we hope that many of you will)  If you do decide to go for it then your next step is to file at the state headquarters during regular business hours from May 7, 2012 through May 21, 2012 (the two weeks prior to our Primary Election on May 22nd.) CD and AL Delegate candidates must commit themselves to a presidential candidate at the time of filing. Candidates must also submit a $150 filing fee.  There will be a list submitted by each of the Presidential campaigns to say who they prefer to be their delegates to make it easier on the voting process.  This list is produced by contacting your district campaign leader.  Here are more details on filing as a delegate from the Republican Party of Arkansas web site:

How to File as a Delegate

Filing Opens: Monday, May 7, 2012 at 8:30 a.m.
Filing Closes: Monday, May 21, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. 
Fee: $150
Delegate application forms can be obtained by downloading the file at the bottom of this page or through the State Party Headquarters. You can request to have a form mailed to you by contacting the State Party at 501-372-7301.

Delegate candidates must turn in their completed and notarized form on or before 5:00 p.m. Monday, May 21, 2012, along with $150, payable to the Republican Party of Arkansas, to the State Party Headquarters by either certified mail or by hand-delivery.

Hand-delivery is recommended to ensure receipt and so that the accuracy of documents can be confirmed.  It is strongly recommended that you hand-deliver after the date of Thursday, May 17, 2012.  Documents are mailed at your own risk. Completed qualifying documents must be delivered to Party Headquarters by the provided deadlines. No extensions can be given.

For additional inquiries, contact Megan Tollett at megan@arkansasgop.org or by phone at 501-372-7301, M-F between 8:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. 

The Address of the Republican Party of Arkansas:                                                                            
1201 West 6th Street

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

Also on their web site in a different location it says this:

PROCEDURE FOR FILING FOR DELEGATE OR ALTERNATE: Candidates seeking to represent the voters of Arkansas at the 2012 Republican National Convention must qualify by filing at the State GOP Headquarters during regular business hours from May 7, 2012 through May 21, 2012. If mailed, the filing must be received at the State GOP Headquarters by the close of business on May 21, 2012. Further, candidates must commit themselves to the support of a specific presidential candidate at the time of filing for a position as delegate/alternate. Properly filed candidates shall be eligible for election as delegates or alternates at the Special District Convention or the State Committee Meeting called for that purpose. The names of properly filed delegate/alternate candidates shall be listed on a ballot to be voted at the Special District Convention to be held on June 9, 2012. The names of properly filed candidates that remain following the allocation of delegates and alternates at the Special District Convention shall be listed on a ballot to be voted at the State Committee Meeting to be held on June 23, 2012. The qualifying filing fee is $150.00 per person payable to the Republican Party of Arkansas. It is suggested that each presidential candidate submit a list of recommended candidates for the delegates and alternates allocated to Arkansas. Delegate/Alternate candidates recommended by each presidential candidate or his/her designee will be identified on ballots to be voted at the Special District Convention and at the State Committee Meeting if the listing of recommended Delegate/Alternate candidates is received at the State GOP Headquarters by the close of business on May 28, 2012.
Once you have filed you are then qualified to be a CD and AL delegate candidate.

May 22, 2012 our presidential primary election takes place and the State of Arkansas says who they prefer to be the republican presidential nominee. This election will be the determining factor in how the CD and AL delegates are allocated.  Be sure to vote and get others to vote or else all our work is in vain!

Step 6.  Election of CD delegates.  Next you will have to attend the Special District Convention which will be held on June 9th for the sole purpose of electing CD delegates and alternates.  This meeting is open to anyone to come but only those who were selected as delegates at the county level will be able to vote at this meeting.  I’m not sure of the location or time of this meeting but I’m sure it will be posted and available as soon as it is finalized.

At the Special District Convention, depending on the outcome of the May 22nd Primary election and how the delegates are allocated, there will be a ballot listing all the delegate candidates to be voted on with * by each of the delegate candidates preferred by the presidential candidate who won.  If one Presidential Candidate won over 50 % of the Primary votes then he would get all 3 delegates and 3 alternates allocated to him.  Everyone at the meeting who is a district delegate will vote for 3 delegates on the ballot.  Then the votes will be counted and the top 3 with the most votes gets to be the 3 CD delegates to go to Florida at the RNC.  Then there will be another vote done the same way to select the 3 CD alternates. If you wish, you may choose to have your name scratched off the ballot if you do not want to be an alternate.  However, whether you choose to be an alternate delegate or not, you can still run as an AL delegate at the State Committee meeting.  If you win a CD alternate position and then you decide to run for AL delegate at State level and you win, then your vacant alternate position will then have to be refilled at the end of the State Committee meeting.  Here are the rules on how this is done from the Republican Party of Arkansas web site:  “Alternate Delegates elected at the Special District Convention may elect to be a candidate for Delegate “at-large” at the State Committee Meeting. If an Alternate Delegate elected at a Special District Convention is elected a Delegate “at-large” the Arkansas Delegates, following the State Committee Meeting, will appoint a replacement alternate delegate. The Arkansas Delegates shall award the Congressional District “alternate” vacancy to the unsuccessful District Alternate Candidate that receives the highest number of votes. If there is no unsuccessful District Alternate Candidate the Arkansas Delegates shall award the Congressional District “alternate” vacancy to the unsuccessful “at large” Alternate Candidate from the same Congressional District that receives the highest number of votes.”
If no Presidential candidate receives over 50% of the vote then the CD delegates will be allocated proportionately (2 CD delegates and alternates to the Presidential candidate who got the most votes and 1 CD delegate and alternate to the Presidential candidate who got the 2nd most votes.)  When voting at the Special District meeting the presidential candidate who got the most votes would have their delegates voted on first.  Note (from their web site): “In the event an insufficient number of candidates for delegate and alternate have filed in any district committed to any presidential candidate who is allocated delegate or alternate positions, those positions which cannot be filled from delegate/alternate candidates committed to that presidential candidate shall be reallocated to the presidential candidate receiving the highest number of votes in that district who has remaining candidates for delegate or alternate from that district committed to that presidential candidate available to fill the allocated positions.” It is essential that we get as many people to file as we can for this reason.

Step 7.  If you did not get elected as a CD delegate at the district level you are still eligible for one of the 21 AL delegate positions at the State level.  Your next step would be to attend the State Committee Meeting which will be held on June 23, 2012 (this meeting may be held in Hot Springs but it is not finalized yet.)  This meeting is open to the public but only the State Committee members will be allowed to vote for the delegates.  Here are some details on the process from their web site:  Process: AL delegates and alternates are elected at the state committee meeting. Voting participants will only be state committee members. Each presidential candidate receiving 15% of the vote statewide shall be allocated one (1) delegate and one (1) alternate. If a candidate receives 50% of statewide vote, they will be allocated the remaining AL delegates and alternates. If no candidate wins a majority, the remaining AL delegates will be allocated among top 3 vote-getters statewide proportionate to their votes with any fraction being round up for the higher voter getter.
Step 8.  If you are elected as a CD delegate or AL delegate then you will have to make arrangements to attend the Republican National Convention on August 27th through 30th, 2012.  The convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Florida.  You can visit their web site here:  http://gopconvention2012.com/

Also to help you book a place to stay you can visit this site: 

http://www.hotels-rates.com/hotels/locations/Tampa/FL/usa/6941/

I don’t know what all takes place at the national convention but I do know that as a delegate you will be bound (obligated) to vote for the presidential candidate that you filed for for the first ballot vote (unless that presidential candidate has released you of your obligation.)  Otherwise after the first vote takes place you are automatically released and free to vote for any one thereafter.  The only time this should come into play is during a brokered convention, where none of the presidential candidates were able to gain more than 1144 delegates.  If this happens the convention will not be over until enough people change their vote so that one of the candidates get more than 1144 votes. 

Here is what Wikipedia says is suppose to take place at the convention:  A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The formal purpose of such a convention is to select the party’s nominee for President, as well as to adopt a statement of party principles and goals known as the platform and adopt the rules for the party’s activities, including the presidential nominating process for the next election cycle. Due to changes in election laws and the manner in which political campaigns are run, conventions since the latter half of the 20th century have virtually abdicated their original roles, and are today mostly ceremonial affairs.

And here is what Wikipedia says about brokered conventions:  A brokered convention is a situation in United States politics in which there are not enough delegates ‘won’ during the presidential primary and caucus elections for a single candidate to have a pre-existing majority, during the first official vote for a political party’s presidential candidate at its nominating convention. Once the first ballot, or vote, has occurred, and no candidate has a majority of the delegates’ votes, the convention is then considered brokered; thereafter, the nomination is decided through a process of alternating political horse-trading, and additional re-votes. In this circumstance, all regular delegates (who, previously, were pledged to the candidate who had won their respective state’s primary or caucus election) are “released,” and are able to switch their allegiance to a different candidate before the next round of balloting. It is hoped that this ‘freedom’ will result in a re-vote resulting in a clear majority of delegates for one candidate.

Super delegate votes are counted on the first ballot. Although the term “brokered convention” is sometimes used to refer to a convention where the outcome is decided by super delegate votes rather than pledged delegates alone, this is not the original sense of the term. Like a brokered convention, the potentially decisive role played by super delegates can often go against the popular vote from the primaries and caucuses.
According to the State headquarters anyone can go with you but only delegates and alternate delegates receive a pass to get in the convention.  There will be a limited number of guest passes but there were no guarantees on who could receive them. For a more detailed study of the process of becoming a delegate here is the link to the site I got most of my information from:  http://www.arkansasgop.org/index.cfm?p=delegate-selection-process The filing form they use and more detailed rules are attached at the bottom of the page.