In California a candidate must receive at least 15% of the vote

[JDPriestly]

in a congressional district (Cal. Elections Code section 6020) in order to obtain a delegate or delegates from that district.

Thus, if you, like me, plan to vote for Edwards, you must understand that, unless he wins 15% of the votes in your congressional district, he will not get a delegate or delegates based on your vote.
I plan to vote for Edwards anyway because I really don't like either of the other two for reasons I won't go into here and because it is the only way that I can protest against the way that the press stole the opportunity to compete fairly in this election from Edwards and some of the other candidates.

California Elections Code
6201 (e) The California primary election is a "binding" primary.
Accordingly, delegate and alternate positions shall be allocated so
as to fairly reflect the expressed presidential or uncommitted status
of the primary voters in each district. Therefore, the national
convention delegates elected at the district level shall be allocated
in proportion to the percentage of the primary vote won in that
district by each preference, except that preferences falling below a
15 percent threshold shall not be awarded any delegates or
alternates.
(f) If no presidential preference reaches a 15 percent threshold,
the threshold shall be the percentage of the vote received at each
level of the delegate selection process by the front-runner minus 10
percent.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Edwards isn't even running anymore. What is that? A half ass protest vote?

Is that some kind of "progressive" deal where you waste your time voting for somebody that isn't running?

[JDPriestly]

3. I posted this in response to another thread to explain my reasons.

I've changed this a little to answer your post.

Edwards is the only really Democratic candidate. There is no point in voting for either of the other two if you want real change. Personally I'm sticking with Edwards.

I voted for Johnson in 1964. He did a lot of good things, but he lied to us to get us into a war in Viet Nam that we could not win. Many people died because of his decisions. I will never vote carelessly again. I feel that both Obama and Hillary are compromisers like Johnson was. I don't think this is the time for Democrats to compromise. I'm sticking with John Edwards.

People will say that I am wasting my vote. I wasted my vote when I voted for Lyndon Johnson. We waste our votes when we vote for people or things we really don't trust or believe in. I do not trust or believe in either Obama or Hillary. Therefore, I will vote for John Edwards. My vote may not count to the world, but it will count to me.

I'm 64. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that I have to answer to myself first and foremost for what I do. I do not want to have to make excuses after the election for my vote. I don't want to have to tell myself I did not know better. I do know better. Regardless of what has happened in this primary, I know that John Edwards is the best candidate and would make the best president for America. So, I'm voting for him. I don't want to have to face regrets later.

If you feel you like and can trust one of the other two candidates, then by my reasoning, you should vote for the person you like and trust. I have to make my own decision, and this is how I am voting.

I am also voting this way as a protest against the media's manipulation of the news about the primary. When I walked my precinct, many of my hardworking neighbors did not even know that Edwards was running. They had never even heard of him. He was never covered in the 6:00 news, so the people who don't watch the special pundit programs didn't know anything about him. I'm sure they did not know about Kucinich or Biden or some of the others either. I don't have cable, so I watched the debates on the internet. A lot of people don't have time for that. I object to the media manipulation of the primaries.

[flyarm]

2. it is the same in many states!

it was 15% in Iowa , NH SC and Florida

are you new to the system..please read up on delegates..it is interesting!!

fly.. a 2004 dem delegate for my county and state