Wednesday, March 27, 1968
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7
Candidates selected at convention since 1831
(Editor's note: This article is part of a series dealing with the 1968 presidential race and the election process.)
Kansan Staff Reporter
Since the first national party convention of the short-lived Antimson party in 1831, the convention svstem has been the accepted method of choosing national party nominees.
This year the Republican party will state its platform, and nominate its candidates for the office of president and vice-president, at their national convention starting Aug. 5 in Miami Beach, Fla. Three weeks later in Chicago, the Democratic National Convention will begin Aug. 26—the day before Lyndon Johnson's birthday.
Although conventions are not regulated by state or federal law, and have no real legal standing, they traditionally represent the political sentiments of the political parties.
The choice of a convention site is strategically important to the success of the convention. The chosen city must be capable of accommodating the convention, and must also present minimal danger for adverse publicity throughout the proceedings. The number of state electoral votes in the state, recreational facilities available, and the amount of money, goods and services offered to the parties also enters into the final decisions of the national committees.
Delegates to the national conventions are selecte in state conventions or primary elections, or by a combination of the two methods. Most of the delegates are chosen in conventions of state party organizations where they are appointed on the bass's of party loyalty and party service.
The actual allocation of delegates, votes and alternates is determined for each state, territory and the District of Columbia by the party's national committee. Distribution is based on the number of senators and representatives in Congress to which a state is entitled, and also on the success of the particular party in a state or congressional district in the preceding election.
A total of 5,611 delegates and alternates and 110 national committee members will be at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The Kansas Democratic party will have 42 delegates with 38 votes, and 36 alternates.
Under the Democrats' method of determining delegates, Kansas is allowed three votes for each of its seven electoral votes, and one vote for each of its two national committee members. The Kansas delegation will also have five additional votes (one for each 100,-600 votes cast for the national ticket in the last election) and another ten bonus votes since Kansas' electoral votes went to the Democratic presidential candidate in 1964.
The following members will comprise the Kansas Democratic delegation; national committeeman (one vote); national committeewoman (one vote); 30 district delegates with six delegates selected from each of the five Congressional districts (9/10 vote each); 30 alternates who substitute for regular delegate in their absence; ten delegates at-large (9/10 vote each); and six alternates for the delegates at-large.
Eight of the delegate at-large positions are traditionally reserved for the governor, the presidents of the state Young Democrat Club and the Women's Federated Club, the state Democratic executive secretary, and the chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer of the state Democratic party.
In some states, presidential primaries are regarded merely as advising the state delegation how to vote. In other states, delegates are legally bound by state law to vote in accordance with the primary results on at least the first ballot, or on all ballots until released by their candidate or a specified vote of the delegates.
All state delegations are usually freed of their commitments to particular candidates if the candidates fail to make substantial headway. Then state leaders of the delegations may attempt to control their delegation's vote and deliver it to the acceptable candidate.
The remaining two delegate atlarge positions will be filled by party members.
National nominating conventions culminate one phase of the political cycle and mark the start of another. Having nominated their standard bearers, the party members then turn their efforts to winning an election.
In contrast to the Democratic practice of giving delegates fractional votes, each Republican delegate has one full vote. Also, Republican national committee members are not automatically convention delegates, but must seek selection in the same manner as other candidates for delegate positions.
The Republican National Convention will have a total of 2,666 delegates and alternates, of which Kansas will have 20 delegates with one vote each, and 20 alternate.
Under Kansas law, delegates to the national conventions are selected by congressional district and state conventions. There is no preferential presidential primary and no statutory instructions are given to Kansas delegates.
Next: the favorite sons.
gressional district casting 2,000 or more votes for the 1964 Republican presidential nominee or Republican Congressional candidate. Kansas will have an additional five delegates, one from each district casting over 10,000 votes for the Republican ticket in the last election.
According to Republican convention rules adopted in 1964, four delegates at-large are chosen from each state and six additional delegates at-large are allowed if the state's electoral votes went to the national ticket in 1964, or if the state elected either a Republican governor or a Republican senator in 1966. Because a Republican senator, James Pearson, was elected in 1966, Kansas will have a total of ten delegates at-large.
The Kansas Republican delegation is also allowed five district delegates, one from each Con-
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