It might be a little helpful to spell out what our process for selecting our presidential nominee actually is. Here’s some helpful information about how we will actually select delegates to the Green Party of the United States’ Presidential Nomination Convention, which will be held in Houston on August 3-7, 2016.
Our process, from the Rules and Procedures:
3.8. Determining the GPCO Presidential slate and Apportioning Delegates – The procedure to select a Presidential slate for the GPUS Nominating Convention will be determined by executing in order the steps contained in this section.
3.8.1. Procedure for selecting a Presidential slate.
3.8.1.1. At the State Meeting, nominations for Presidential candidates will be taken from the floor. Only delegates selected by their Locals may place a name in nomination. A nomination does not require a second. Choices like “no candidate”, “uncommitted”, etc. may also be nominated.
3.8.1.2. All nominations will be displayed.
3.8.1.3. When all nominations are in, the first round of voting will occur.
3.8.1.4. A round of voting is completed by executing the steps of 3.8.1.4 in order.
3.8.1.4.1. The facilitator will take a “sense of the convention” (a non-debatable, straw vote) that will determine if speeches will be allowed at this point. If allowed, each nominator will be permitted to speak on behalf of the nomination, and this will be followed by a period of discussion open only to delegates.
3.8.1.4.2. The facilitator will call for the vote. Delegates will publicly declare their choice.
3.8.1.4.3. The results of the ballot will be visibly posted.
3.8.1.4.4. Any candidate or choice getting less than the “threshold percentage” in votes is
eliminated. The threshold is given by the formula “threshold percentage” = (1 / number of
delegates allocated by the GPUS to the GPCO) * 100.
3.8.1.4.5. If no candidate or choice gets 60% of the votes cast, and two or less votes have been taken, another round of voting is required.
3.8.1.5. If no candidate or choice gets 60% of the votes cast and no candidate or choice is
eliminated in the third and latter rounds of voting, the convention must vote (a non-debatable, procedural vote) after each round to have an additional round of voting.
3.8.1.6. Any subsequent rounds of voting will use the steps in 3.8.1.4.
3.8.1.7. When closure of voting occurs, the final vote results will become the GPCO Presidential slate.
3.8.2. Procedure for apportioning the Presidential slate delegates.
3.8.2.1. The final vote results will be converted to percentages of total votes cast and each of the surviving choices and candidates will have the appropriate percentage assigned to them.
3.8.2.2. The number of delegates assigned to a choice or candidate is given by the formula ND = CAP * DC, where: ND is the “Number of Delegates assigned to a choice or candidate” CAP is the “Candidate’s assigned percentage”, which is derived in 3.8.2.1 DC is the “Number of delegates and proxy votes in attendance at the nominating convention vote”
3.8.2.3. The “ND” will be rounded with any fraction less than .50 reduced to .0, and any fraction equal or greater than .50 increased to 1.0.
3.8.2.4. For all candidates and choices, the number of assigned delegates (“ND”) will be totaled.
3.8.2.5. Any unaccounted for delegate will be assigned “uncommitted”.
3.8.2.6. If the total number of assigned delegates exceeds the number allocated by the GPUS, each candidates’ and choices’ “ND” will be truncated with any fraction reduced to .0.
3.8.3. Delegation instructions at the GPUS Nominating Convention
3.8.3.1. When the delegates are chosen, their votes on the floor of the GPUS Nominating
Convention will be assigned and bound through the first ballot for the Presidential Candidate of the GPUS with the exception of the uncommitted delegates. Only if a candidate withdraws his or her name from nomination will a delegate be released from binding early.
3.8.3.2. The number of delegates on the floor of the convention should be apportioned per 3.8.2.6
3.8.3.3. A delegation coordinator will be chosen by the delegates, and will be responsible for these provisions.
3.8.3.4 On all subsequent ballots after the first, the delegates are released from any binding direction for voting.
3.8.4. The GPCO will support the nominated GPUS Presidential and Vice Presidential
candidates. These candidates are placed on the General Election ballot by the GPUS.
3.8.5. The GPCO will select at the State Meeting the required number of Presidential electors for the Electoral College.
The rest of the rules for the Green Party national convention are here.
