In 2020 the Republican Presidential Primary in Michigan was held on March 10th. In 2024, it will be held on February 27th. This date change led to a change in the way the Republican Presidential delegate votes will be assigned for Michigan.
A combination of state laws and Republican National Convention (RNC) rules govern the process. Each state is assigned a number of delegates who vote for a presidential candidate that will appear on the ballot. Michigan gets 55 delegate votes for president at the Republican National Convention where the Republican presidential candidate is selected. In the past, all of Michigan’s 55 delegate votes were assigned based on the outcome of the presidential primary election.
According to RNC rules, primary elections must take place after March 1.
If the primary takes place before March 1, the penalty is a reduction in delegates.
In late January 2023, the Michigan Democrat-led legislature voted to move the primary to the fourth Tuesday in February, knowing this would reduce the number of voting delegates at the RNC of Michigan from 55 to 12. Kristina Karamo, chair of the MIGOP, explained that when the change was initially made, MIGOP tried to get a waiver from the RNC but the RNC did not agree to that solution.
Then in June 2023, the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP) passed a Resolution of Intent to change the way delegates are assigned in Michigan which was accepted by the RNC. Going forward, 16 of Michigan’s 55 delegate votes will be based on the outcome of the primary election, and the other 39 delegate votes will be based on the 13 district caucuses meetings which will take place on March 2nd this election year. The new hybrid method for assigning delegates ensures Michigan voters have a voice at the RNC.
Karamo explained the new method for assigning delegate votes by stating, “What we’ve done is taken back your voice by also adding in a caucus.”
The new method not only preserves the voice of Michigan Republican voters, but it gives greater responsibility to Republican precinct delegates. In this video message, Karamo further explained the presidential primary changes and briefly explained the role of precinct delegates.
“Precinct delegates exist in both political parties. They are the closest political representatives to you. On your August primary ballot, you elect precinct delegates to represent your wishes to which ever political party you belong to. [] Those precinct delegates that you voted for during the August primary, are now the individuals who will be voting at the convention on March 2nd.”
“We’re not a democracy. We are a republic, and you elect representatives on every level of our government. Even within your own precinct whose job it is to represent your wishes and to vote in certain elections on Republican nominees for particular offices, and party leadership.”
Establishment and uni-party representatives are trying to remove the power from the people, while precinct delegates and others are working diligently to ensure the people have a voice.