Bill Earngey

It is so.

  Delegates. The Primary Election is the first step into political manure. State delegates, chosen by the party, pledge to vote for our choices for the political party's nominating convention. Each state has a specific number of delegates based on population.

  Superdelegates. These creatures comprise 20 percent of the nominating convention votes. They are selected because of their status as party big wigs, regardless of their presidential preferences. They vote as they please.

  Caucus. Democratic caucus participants must publicly state their opinion and vote. Republicans vote by secret ballot. On a state-by-state examination, caucuses are loose as a goose. In Iowa: " ... caucus does not result directly in national delegates for each candidate. Caucus-goers elect delegates to county conventions, who in turn elect delegates to district and state conventions where Iowa's national convention delegates are selected." In Texas: These folks call it the Texas Two-Step (Three-Card Monte?) -- 42 at-large delegates are selected through a three-month, three-tier primary/caucus convention system that starts at the precinct level on primary night and ends at the state convention in June.

  The National Nominating Convention? Get serious.

  The Electoral College, 538 presidential electors, meet every four years to vote for the president of the United States and vice president. Every state legislature chooses to allow its electors to be popularly chosen by a state-wide ballot for slates of electors, who have pledged themselves to support a particular president/vice president candidate.

  The Constitution does not require the electors to vote as pledged, but many states have laws that do require voting as pledged.

  The College vote is equal to the membership of both Houses of Congress, plus three more allocated to Washington D.C. -- 270 votes elects the president and vice president, regardless of the popular (your) vote.

  In the 2000 election, Ralph Nader buggered the vote. Al Gore won the plurality popular vote, more votes than either Nader or George Bush, but Gore lost the elector vote.