Wisconsin Presidential Primary: A Democratic Vote, Explained

WISCONSIN — On April 7, voters in Wisconsin will take to the polls to choose the Democratic nominee to run for president against Republican incumbent Donald Trump. They'll also vote to re-affirm Trump's candidacy with the Republican party.

Wisconsin has an open Democratic and Republican primary election, meaning that a voter does not have to be affiliated with either party in order to vote for the candidate of their choice.

In Wisconsin, it's a safe bet that President Donald Trump - the only Republican on the ballot - will once again be on the ballot for President in November.

Things get more interesting on the Democratic side of things.

When a Wisconsin voter goes to the poll on April 7, and picks a Democratic candidate, they will be casting their vote to send as many Wisconsin delegates as possible to the Democratic National Convention in July in Milwaukee to support the candidate of their choosing.

What's A Delegate?

In the case of Wisconsin's Democratic presidential primary, a delegate is a person from Wisconsin who will be sent to the Democratic National Convention to vote for a presidential candidate.

In 2020, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and select U.S. territories will send a total of 4,750 delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

3,979 of those delegates are considered "pledged," and will have to follow the popular vote in their respective jurisdictions. If one candidate gets half the popular vote in Wisconsin in the primary, then half of the pledged delegates in Wisconsin have to select that candidate. Wisconsin has 84 pledged delegates.

There will also be 771 superdelegates. These delegates are "un-pledged" meaning they can pick whoever they choose for their nominee. Wisconsin has 13 superdelegates in 2020.

How Delegates Vote At The Convention

At the 2020 Democratic National Convention, all pledged delegates from U.S. states, the District of Columbia and select territories will vote for candidates based on the popular vote in each state, district or territory. If the top delegate-getter secures 1,991 delegates, they become the nominee.

If the top delegate-getter falls short of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the nomination, then the convention becomes contested, and a second vote is called. If the convention goes to a second ballot or more, superdelegates will be able to vote, and a candidate must get a majority of all delegates, which must be greater than 2,375.

Wisconsin's Delegates By The Numbers

97

This figure takes into account all pledged and un-pledged delegates assigned to Wisconsin.

84

The number of delegates that have to pick their presidential candidate based on the popular vote.

55

Pledged delegates that are elected at the congressional level, or state legislative district level.

19

Pledged "at-large" delegates who are elected across Wisconsin.

10

Pledged delegates who similar to at-large delegates, are made up of party leaders and elected officials. They are called PLEO delegates.

13

That's the number of superdelegates Wisconsin has. These delegates can pick the presidential candidate of their choosing, and are not bound to follow the popular vote. They're made up of Democratic National Committee members, congressional leaders, the governor or Democratic party elite.

In 2020, superdelegates can only vote starting on the second ballot if the Democratic National Convention is contested, meaning none of the candidates have enough delegates to secure the nomination following the Democratic presidential primary.