Three of Oklahoma’s Delegate Votes Not Counted at Republican National Convention
Only 40 of Oklahoma’s 43 delegate votes for president were counted Tuesday night, because of one absence and two supporters of Ron Paul who refused to cast their votes for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, even though they were bound to do so.
The roll call for the state was 34 votes for Romney and six for Rep. Ron Paul, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination.
The six who voted for Paul were Paul supporters who had been committed to former candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. Because Santorum and Gingrich released their delegates, the Paul supporters were free to vote for Paul.
But two Paul supporters who were required by state law to vote for Romney tried to vote for Paul, and their votes were voided.
James Dunn, an outgoing Oklahoma member of the Republican National Committee, was absent so his vote wasn’t counted. He also supported Paul.
John Bates, of Edmond, was one of those Paul supporters who violated his pledge to vote for Romney.
He said later that he did so because the people that elected him as a delegate were Paul supporters.
“Had I not (voted for Paul), I would have disenfranchised those who voted for me,” he said.
There has been a lot of friction between Paul and Romney supporters in some states and that was evident here Tuesday on the floor of the convention a couple of times.
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Comments
How can the state GOP bind delegates to a candidate who did not win our primary and if a candidate had to cheat, lie and steal to win, did he really win?
Mitt Romney and the GOP had to cheat and commit fraud openly, notoriously and frequently to ensure Ron Paul not only couldn’t win the nomination, but to additionally ensure Ron Paul could not speak for 15 minutes at the convention. The GOP specifically schemed to humiliate Ron Paul and the liberty delegates.
To win, the GOP had to violate nearly every one of their own rules to force their delegate slate here and nearly every other state.
But wait, there’s more. When Ron Paul was able to win duly-elected delegates, who all went through the entire process from the precinct level, the various state GOP elites summarily fired them and appointed Romney delegates, or simply cancel the delegation from the entire state of Maine.
Romney and the GOP still wasn’t finished with open cheating and theft. Once they learned that convention delegations from 6 states having met the decades old rule allowing 5 states with a plurality to nominate a candidate and let them be heard, at the last minute, the GOP changed the 5 state rule to 8 states, ensuring the Ron Paul R3volution was completely crushed.
The delegation process has become worthless and corrupt. Why should the taxpayer spend many millions on conventions that are nothing more than globalist rubber stamps?
Since Mitt Romney and Obama are exactly the same thing, it really doesn’t matter that the guy that lost to the guy that lost to Obama, wins or not. Either way, we get more debt, more wars, more central control and the continuation of the loss of liberty.
Oklahoma has no jurisdiction over a vote cast by a delegate in Florida. Besides what Mr. Bates did was exercise his conscience. Why even have a republican process if a delegates vote can be assigned. Seems to me that the state law needs to be repealed!
Mr. Bates and the other Oklahoma member did nothing wrong. The state GOP has no say at the national convention, and this was confirmed before the convention by the RNC. Unlike most of the people reading this who are too lazy to campaign to be a delegate, Mr. Bates attended all the required meetings, and was voted to be a delegate by a majority present in his district.
What the RNC has done with these rule changes is make conventions simply a love-fest for whatever candidate the RNC picks (not the voters). If you disagree with them and want to have a debate of ideas – forget it. We’ll tell you how to vote – and what to say.
In the words of Pink Floyd – welcome to the machine
Time for a true CONSERVATIVE party. The GOP is no longer a place for us.
If it was required by state law, then those who voted for Paul should be prosecuted under state law.