They pay their own way, don't accept campaign contributions and neither draft nor vote on legislation. But six Butler County residents are running to be delegates in their respective political party's national convention.

Delegates play a role in selecting a party's presidential candidate — even if it is already a foregone conclusion. And campaign signs for the candidates are popping up.

“Being a delegate would be an honor, and I think I could contribute to the party, the platform and the country that way,” said Tom King, a county attorney who is running to be a Republican delegate from the 16th Congressional District.

As Butler County is represented by three congressional districts, residents will see different names on their ballots, depending on where they live.

The districts each will elect three delegates for the Republican National Convention. For the Democratic National Convention, four delegates will represent the 15th district, which includes the eastern part of the county; five will represent the 16th, which includes the majority of the county, including Butler city; and eight will represent the 17th, which includes Cranberry Township and a small sliver of the southwestern tier of the county. The districts also represent other counties in this section of the state.

Pledged to candidates

While not required, the GOP candidates have — at least informally — pledged themselves to a candidate, namely President Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, all candidates have pledged themselves to a specific candidate.

Patrick Donahue, of Meadville, pledged himself early to former candidate Pete Buttigieg, although he is trying to become a candidate pledged to former Vice President Joe Biden from the 16th district. He was removed from the ballot in March when Buttigieg dropped out of the race, but said he hopes he'll appear as an option.

“I thought Pete was a very interesting candidate,” Donahue, 68, said. “He was young, and we have old people in politics.”

John Grenci, of Connoquenessing, said he supports Trump, but added that being a delegate may be more complicated if the president is unable to be renominated by the time of the convention.

“I love Trump, but what a voter should really be looking for is what they (the delegate) would do in case of, say, a brokered convention,” Grenci, a 16th district candidate, said. “And in that case, loving Trump wouldn't matter.”

Carl Davidson, of Aliquippa, is a Democratic candidate in the 17th district. He said that while his candidate, Bernie Sanders, suspended his campaign, he wants to represent the Vermont senator's interests.

“I've been a follower of Bernie for some time and I've always seen him to be a champion of the working class,” Davidson said. But, he added, another goal is to maintain “an overall unity” in the party's platform.

Party platforms

King said a significant part of why he wanted to run — beyond having a lifelong interest in politics and supporting Trump — is so he could help form the party's platform, a set of goals and values.

“The party platform is developed by the convention delegates, so as a lawyer I would hope to be able to have input in and assist on the workings of the delegates with regard to the drafting of the party's platform and support for the president,” he said.

Davidson echoed King's comments from the Democratic side, saying that while Sanders was unable to win the nomination in 2016, his delegates at that year's convention were able to influence the party's platform and its convention rules.

One example he cited was that superdelegates — delegates who are not elected by any group and are able to vote for whichever candidate they choose — are not allowed to vote on the first ballot in the 2020 convention, a change from rules in years past.

“Forty-six percent (of the delegates in 2016, won by Sanders) represented some clout, and he used that to change some rules and he changed the program,” he said.

Running for a spot

Delegate candidates had to circulate a petition to have their name on the ballot.

Donahue said that obtaining the requisite number of signatures on his petition — delegate candidates must have at least 250 signatures — was a challenge as a Democrat in the 16th district.

“I was lucky. The college was still here, and a college student went up and circulated some for me, and I got a little bit of help,” he said. “Getting 300 signatures is a lot in Meadville. A hundred is a lot in Meadville.”

And even if these candidates are elected, the challenges don't end there.

None have filed campaign finance reports with the Department of State, and they indicated they don't accept contributions. Going to the conventions requires a personal financial contribution.

“It costs a bit,” Davidson said. “It's at least $1,500 to go to a convention.”

State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, said each time she's attended a convention — four times as an alternate delegate between 2000 and 2016 — it has cost her between $1,500 and $2,000.

Still, she said, it's a privilege to attend a convention.

“I just save my money for it,” she said. “I know that's going to be my vacation for the year, so that's what I did.”