It is reported widely that a candidate requires 2025 or more delegates at the Democratic National Convention in August to secure the nomination without relying on a brokered deal.
Presumptively that figure is derived as being the [50%+1] of all seated delegates, reported as 4,049. Does that include Florida and Michigan? If so, shouldn’t the required number be lower? If not, if these two states are ultimately included, the required number will be higher, right?
Which document contains the actual relevant rules governing the nomination process?
Every convention writes its own rules, so it would be up to the convention itself to make that determination. There have been few if any situations in the past where a state was refused accreditation altogether, so there aren’t a lot of precedents in this area. Even if there were, this year’s convention would not be bound by them.
The Committee will draft the convention rules, no doubt using 2004 as a template. The Convention may amend the rules if it so desires.
As for finding recent convention rules online, I didn’t find any, although I didn’t look terribly hard. Modern conventions are so scripted and perfunctory that the rules attract zero attention.
The proceedings of a few of the old-time conventions are online, so for example, you can read the rules of the 1860 Republican National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln here (see page 42).
Yes. Democratic National Conventions haven’t adopted the “robot rule” requiring delegates to vote as pledged since 1980, so there is no reason to think they will do so this year.
DNC rules govern the delegate selection process before the convention assembles, and the DNC also (to my knowledge) has made no move to police voting behavior at intermediate steps–county caucuses, state conventions, and so forth.
However, each State & state party can and does adopt their own rules, which may require delegates to vote as pledged.
In states with Primaries, for example, the delegates are sometimes required by state law to vote for the primary winner, at least on the first ballot. (I don’t know if there are actual legal penalties for not doing so, or if they are ever enforced.)
Here in Minnesota, the Presidential Poll held at our caucuses was binding; it determined how many of our national delegates the Obama & Clinton campaigns get. The actual people will be selected by their sub-caucuses at our State Convention in June. But you can be pretty sure that each sub-caucus will select people that they are sure will vote for their candidate. I’m not sure if there are any rules requiring that, but there is very effective peer pressure: if you turn out to be a disloyal delegate, it will certainly be remembered! It might even cost you financially: many times delegates get financial help toward the expenses of attending a national convention, typically fundraising parties held by local supporters. If you turn out to be a disloyal delegate, you may not get any such help from your sub-caucus.