I hope you are registered to vote during the primary election April 26. With Hillary Clinton being opposed by Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump facing off with several other Republican contenders, voters in both parties have some important decisions to make, as all of these presidential candidates have widely different plans for our country’s future.

In the voting booth, when you highlight the button next to your presidential candidate and click “Cast Ballot,” you have not completely accomplished the task of supporting a candidate, as this vote, known as the “popular vote,” may not be the deciding factor in which individual wins your party’s nomination.

Your popular vote may count if, at the time of the convention, a majority of popular votes have been cast for your candidate. But the delegate votes on your ballot may be what actually makes the difference in who represents your political party in the presidential election.

These delegates are the people who will be chosen to attend their party’s national convention this summer. At those conventions, it is their votes which actually put a candidate on the Republican and Democratic ballot in November. Some are committed to voting for a particular candidate, and some are not.

So how do you know which delegates to vote for?

I am not going to go into the complicated process for delegate selection, as some are chosen by the party leadership or by virtue of the position they hold or other criteria. I would like to address what you see in the voter booth and what you might do to be prepared to make a choice that supports your candidate.

On the Democratic ballot, a note after each delegate’s name indicates the candidate he or she is committed to. Democratic voters are asked to select three men and three women from the delegate candidates listed. There may or may not three of each, depending on your legislative district so it is possible you will be voting for fewer than six.

The 15th Congressional District covers Lehigh County and parts of Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon and Northampton counties.

In the 15 District, Democratic candidates committed to Hillary Clinton are Jo Ellen Litz, Mark S. Singel, Bea Brown, David R. Fillman and Jennifer Mann. Candidates committed to Bernie Sanders are Sawyer M. Neale, Jude-Laure Denis, Shannon L. Wass, Peter J. Swavely and Steven Todd.

According to Hillary Smith, vice chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee, in the first round of voting at the convention, elected Democratic delegates will vote for the candidate indicated on the ballot. If that round of convention voting does not point to a presidential candidate, they may cast any subsequent votes as they please.

Other Democratic delegates who have been appointed are considered “super delegates.” They can vote for whomever they want right from the start.

The rules for Republican delegates are different.

Delegates listed on the ballot for the 15th District are: Scott Uehlinger, Robert E. Smith Jr., John K. Reber Sr., Mark Hoffman, Patrick Kerwin, Ryan E. Mackenzie, Malcom Cole, Dean N. Browning, William L. Heydt and Christian Y. Leinback. Republican voters may select three of these.

There is no indication on the ballot as to who each of these delegates might support at the convention.

According to Lehigh County Republican Committee Chairman William Heydt, while 17 of the appointed delegates are required to vote the way the state votes, the elected delegates are a different story.

“Who they vote for is completely up in the air,” he said. They may vote for whomever they choose.

So voters must do their own research before going to the polls to determine who should get their vote.

Some delegates may be planning on supporting a particular candidate while others may plan to support the popular vote of the district or the state.

Heydt cautions anyone researching the delegates’ intentions, however.

“What they say and what they do are two separate items.” Because they are not under an obligation of any kind, they may change their minds and their votes at any time between now and the convention.

If you are a Republican, the best you can do is to reach out to each delegate and find out where they stand now.

Going to the polls uninformed and unprepared will be perilous during this crucial primary election. Do so at your own risk.

Linda Wojciechowski

associate editor

Catasauqua Press