Traditionally, historians record the rollcall vote for president at major party national conventions. However, that job is getting more and more difficult, as shown by what happened at the September 3 Republican convention. TheGreenPapers has an interesting account of the true rollcall in St. Paul. The votes from the various state delegations included 15 votes for Ron Paul, and 2 votes for Mitt Romney. However, the presiding officers of that convention did not repeat the votes for Paul (although they did acknowledge the 2 votes for Romney), and it seems that no official record was made of the Paul votes. Here are the details from TheGreenPapers. Scroll down to the notes.
Past Republican conventions did keep a tally, even when the votes were one-sided. The runner-ups at each convention during the past 40 years were officially credited with this number of votes: 1968 Nelson Rockefeller 277; 1972 Pete McCloskey 1; 1976 Ronald Reagan 1,070; 1980 John Anderson 37; 1984 unanimous; 1988 Pat Buchanan 18; 1992 Pat Buchanan 43; 2000 unanimous; 2004 unanimous. Thanks to the Rhodes Cook Letter for this past data.
It is true that Ron Paul did not meet the convention’s qualifications to be nominated. That required majority support in at least 5 state delegations. Specifically, a candidate had to submit a petition in order to be considered nominated, signed by a majority of delegates from 5 states. However, there is a distinction to be made between the ability of a candidate to be placed in nomination, and the ability of a delegate to vote freely for the candidate of his or her choice, and to have that vote recorded.
This year’s Democratic convention tally was Obama 1,549.5; Clinton 341.5. Only the states above New York in the alphabet cast votes.
One more reason to abolish the EVIL rigged party hack conventions and have nonpartisan nominations only by nominating petitions by the voters and use Approval Voting — vote for 1 or more, highest win (for executive / judicial offices).
And they are using our tax dollars to do it.
The funniest thing is, it must have cost Romney at least twenty-five million or something like that per vote. Hah.
Since when did a political convention become a coronation, instead of a nomination? What’s wrong with showing how many votes the runners up got? Hasn’t that historically been what a convention is for, to pick a candidate? Everyone knows that many Republicans were unhappy with the McCain selection, given how many voted for Huckabee, Romney, and Paul. Why deny the truth?
Tom:
At least Romney’s cost per vote can be calculated.
Alan Keyes ZERO Republican votes divided into whatever amount was spent on his Republican campaign amounts to an answer of $INFINITY per vote.
Tom,
That is because Romney released his delegates. You are the joke Tom. If Alan kicked you to the curb he might actually win something.
Why bother to recored the votes when the games is rigged?
How do you ,in California, spell Write-in? If 60% is availavle to think for themselves it could be very sucessful. Ron Paul is the only republican that can bring us back to a constitutional Republican Form of government as it once was. He is wise to the real terrorists, the bankers that invaded our government in 1913. Google Federal Reserve Fraud. It is that simple Then study Former President Andrew Jackson. He paid off the national debt in 1835, and warned us of their intentions then. Look at us now. Ten trillion dollars in debt to the same family that funded Adolf Hitler,plus.
2000 wasn’t even unanimous. Alan Keyes and John McCain got votes.
To Bill L.–Rudy spent $61 million and got one delegate vote from Iowa. Alan Keyes spent $400,000 and got two delegate votes from North Carolina. Who would you rather have running the economy?.
Michael:
Incorrect. There were ZERO votes cast for Keyes at the Republican Convention this year.
This just shows how much the Republican mainstream fears what happened with the Ron Paul movement. I have little doubt November 4th will be a disaster for the Republican party. The economy will be the main reason, something all members of the movement expected. The upcoming defeat will leave an opportunity for the Ron Paul movement to become the main force in the Republican party in both the 2010 and 2012 elections.