09 May 2008
Young Delegates Eager to Cast Presidential Convention Ballots
Convention delegates formally nominate presidential candidates
Washington -- In late summer 2008, tens of thousands of people will arrive in Denver for the Democratic National Convention and Minneapolis-St. Paul for the Republican National Convention.
In attendance will be well-known party leaders from across the United States and famous journalists reporting for dozens of countries. But those with the most important task at the conventions are ordinary citizens -- delegates selected by their states’ parties and sometimes their states’ voters to nominate their parties’ candidate for president. None will be paid for participation; most will come at their own expense.
Although Arizona Senator John McCain is the presumed Republican nominee, he does not receive the nomination officially until the delegates select him. And even though political experts predict Americans will know who the Democratic nominee will be before the party’s convention, he or she officially will not earn the title until the delegates cast their vote.
Becoming a delegate is not easy -- each party in each state sets its own rules for earning these coveted posts. (See “Delegate System Aims to Give Nominating Power to the People.”)
Among those lucky few are some young political activists who will be attending their first convention.
Brian Graham, 24, was the youngest person in Florida’s 6th Congressional District to seek a Republican delegate slot. He met with local party leaders and asked for their support at a Republican congressional district caucus, and ultimately became one of three delegates selected at that caucus to attend the national convention.
“It’s really going to be an honor to cast my vote to officially nominate John McCain to be the Republican Party nominee,” Graham said. “That’s the great thing about our country -- that all of us can participate in the process.”
Graham is also the incoming chair of the Florida Young Republicans and serves as the Florida coordinator of Future Leaders for McCain, a group of young professionals working to help elect the Republican candidate.
Kimberly Ahern, 24, was selected to be a Democratic delegate from Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District in a much different manner. Ahern, who has pledged to vote for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, was selected directly by the district’s voters during the state’s Democratic primary.
Ahern, who never before sought an elected position, had not planned to run for a delegate position, but campaign officials encouraged her and other young activists to run. Ahern is the Rhode Island coordinator for Students for Barack Obama and also serves on the board of the Rhode Island Young Democrats.
Seeing her name on a ballot for the first time was “really cool,” Ahern said. Campaigning to be a delegate “is a good way for young people to get involved who might be timid about running for office.”
THE CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
Delegates do not just show up to cast their votes. Both conventions will have dozens of other activities in which delegates can participate. These include state delegation meetings with party leaders, political training sessions and networking opportunities.
“I look forward to meeting other conservatives around the country. … I look forward to meeting a lot of people, meeting the leaders of the Republican Party,” Graham said. “I think it’s going to be a great learning opportunity and a phenomenal experience nominating the, hopefully, next president of the United States.”
“It’s going to be a really exciting convention,” Ahern said. “It will be exciting to go with the Rhode Island delegation as a whole.” Although Rhode Island, the smallest state in the country, will have a relatively tiny delegation, there will be many activities the delegates can share.
As the Democratic nomination race continues, there have been concerns among some party leaders that the ongoing battle could divide the party. Ahern said this does not seem to be the case among the Rhode Island delegates and added she's met many Clinton delegates and they all get along well.
In this competitive election season, some U.S. news media have questioned whether delegates are legally required to cast their votes for the candidate to whom they are pledged. Both Ahern and Graham dismissed notions that they would consider switching their votes.
“We can vote for anyone we want once we get there,” Graham. “No one is forcing us.” However, “I will be casting my vote for John McCain as the voters of the state of Florida determined.”
The idea of switching her vote seems “ludicrous,” Ahern said. “I was personally elected by 40 percent of the people who live in [the Rhode Island 1st Congressional District] and I would never do that.”
