Trump, Cruz To Face Off Here March 5

Louisi-ana voters will go to the polls on Saturday, March 5 in the state’s Presidential Primary.  Fourteen Republican candidatess will appear on the ballot including the top two candidates — Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Democratic voters will choose between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.  You must be a member of a political party in order to vote in its primary.  The last day to switch parties for this election is February 4.

Republicans can vote for delegates to the convention in caucuses on March 1.

Louisiana’s new delegate selection system awards presidential contenders delegates based on their performance in the Presidential Primary March 5.

Louisiana has been allotted 46 delegates and 43 alternates to the 2016 Republican National Convention. Louisiana’s three RNC members serve as automatic dele-

gates. The remaining 43 delegates and 43 alternates are elected. Here are the three ways you can become a delegate:

1.Run for delegate at the March 1 Congressional District Caucus. (36 positions are available — 18 delegates and 18 alternates.)

2.Be nominated by a Presidential candidate. (Up to 46 positions are available — 23 delegates and 23 alternates.)

3.Be nominated from the floor of the March 12 State Convention. (At least four positions are available — two delegates and two alternates.)

Option 1: Run at a Congressional District Caucus

File a notice of candidacy online by filling out a simple form at LAGOP.com/delegate between January 25 and February 12. No fee is required, but you must declare which Presidential contender you support when you file.

At the March 1 caucus, voters in each Congressional district will be divided by Presidential candidate and will vote for up to six delegate candidates who support the same Presidential candidate as they do.   The caucus will be held from 4 to 8 p.m.

The top six delegate candidates for each Presidential candidate will become his slate in that congressional district, ranked in order of the number of votes received. If two delegate candidates are tied, the one who filed earliest will be ranked highest.

On March 5, Louisiana will conduct the Presidential Preference Primary Election. Presidential candidates will be awarded up to three delegates and three alternates in each Congressional district in proportion to the percentage of the vote they receive on the March 5 ballot. If a Presidential candidate earns one delegate, the top finisher on his slate in that district will become a delegate, and the second place finisher will become an alternate. If the Presidential candidate earns two delegates in the district, the top two finishers will be delegates, and the third and fourth place finishers will be alternates, and so on.

Option 2: Be Nominated by a Presidential Candidate 

Contact the campaign of your favorite Republican presidential contender and ask to be included on his official statewide delegate slate. These slates are due to be filed by February 1, so act quickly. Presidential candidate who receive at least 20 percent of the statewide vote will be awarded a percentage of the 23 statewide delegates and alternates in proportion to the percentage of the statewide vote they receive in the March 5 Presidential Primary.

The March 12 State Convention will fill these delegate slots with individuals from the slate of the Presidential candidates who earn them. Delegates on statewide slates are not ranked in any order. The State Convention may choose anyone on a slate to fill a spot as long as it is for the appropriate presidential contender.

Option 3: Be Nominated from the Floor at the State Convention

On March 12, the State Convention will fill any remaining positions. Two positions will be nominated by the LAGOP Executive Committee, and the remainder will be uncommitted delegates and alternates nominated from the floor as a result of some Presidential candidate  not receiving 20 percent of the statewide vote in the primary. Anyone who is a registered Republican voter in Louisiana is eligible to be nominated. The State Convention is composed of 35 individuals to be chosen by the current State Central Committee.

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