Cruz supporters must be hoping he gets above the 20% threshold in the Texas primary

The Texas Republican primary is coming up on March 1, 2016, and many voters are already taking advantage of the early voting option. With so many candidates on the ticket it's worthwhile to know how the Republican delegate votes would be divvied up given how divided voters are. Thehill.com tells us that a Monmouth University poll reveals this split in South Carolina:

Trump 35%
Cruz 19%
Rubio 17%
Kasich 9%
Bush 8%
Carson 7%

Poll results in Texas may vary.

In any event, the assignment of delegates would be complicated if that's the way the Texas vote shakes out.

In Texas, each to the 36 congressional districts are assigned three delegates for a total of 108. Add 47 at-large delegates for a total of 155.

In each of the congressional districts a candidate getting a majority of votes earns all that district's three delegates. If no one gets a majority then it gets into the counting. If Trump gets over 20% but no one else does, then he gets two of that district's three delegates, and the third delegate goes to the second place winner.

If no one gets 20% then the district's delegates are allocated one each to the top three vote getters.

As for the 47 at-large delegates, a candidate getting a majority of the votes would take them all. Less than a majority then the 20% comes in again. If no candidate receives 20% of the vote, then the delegates are allocated proportionally among all the candidates.

If only one candidate receives 20% or more, the 47 at-large delegates are allocated proportionally between that candidate and the second place winner.

If two or more candidates receive 20% or more, then the at-large delegates are proportioned among those getting 20% or more.

Obviously, a majority is the goal, but short of that then the bean counters get their day.

Disclaimer: All of this comes to us from a website called TheGreenpapers.com which purports to contain accurate descriptions of both party's rules in the various states. It sounds convincing, but all their links go to internal sites, which to this blogger is a serious shortcoming.