What to watch for at today’s GOP convention
The early part of the morning at the Washington State Republican Convention will involve some things that have little or no mystery to them.
Republicans have to elect 10 at-large delegates to the national convention. Seven are being awarded to John McCain and three to Mike Huckabee, based on the results of the Feb. 19 primary.
The McCain people have given state officials seven names, and the Huckabee people gave three. Those are the names on the ballot, and the only names that can receive votes. (One Ron Paul delegate, who said he was originally from Hungary, likened it to a Soviet process.)
Nominating electors to the Electoral College is also the province of the campaigns. Washington state gets 11; the McCain folks and the Paul folks can each pick a slate.
If the GOP candidate doesn't win Washington in November, those electors have nothing to do. If he does, they go to Olympia in December to cast their votes in the process that really elects the president.