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New York's 95 delegates to the Republican National Convention are the big prize of the state's April 19 presidential primary. Competing for those delegates are, from left, businessman Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

In a break from the past, presidential candidates competing in the April 19 New York primary will not be allowed to select their own delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer.

Instead, the New York Republican State Committee will choose the delegates, a change the state GOP made to reward party loyalists with a trip to the convention in Cleveland.

Here's a primer on how those delegates will be awarded after the election:

How many delegates are at stake?

New York has 95 Republican delegates up for grabs in the primary, the fourth-highest total of any state. Since New York is not a winner-take-all state, delegates will be awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote and the vote in each of the state's 27 congressional districts.

Why every part of the state matters

Of the 95 delegates, 81 will be awarded based on the vote in each congressional district. Each of New York's 27 congressional districts will have three delegates.

How the delegates are awarded

If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in a congressional district, he will receive all three delegates. If no candidate tops 50 percent in a district, the winner will receive two delegates and the runner-up will receive one delegate. But a candidate must receive at least 20 percent of the district's vote to be awarded a delegate.

The statewide delegates

The state GOP committee will have 14 at-large delegates, including three Republican National Committee members. All of those delegates will be awarded to a candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the statewide vote.



If no candidate has more than 50 percent of the vote, the at-large delegates will be awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote.

How delegates will be chosen

The delegates will be selected by elected members of the New York Republican State Committee in May, but the exact date has not been set. Each congressional district will hold a meeting of its state committee members to select the delegates based on the vote in that district.

What happens at the Republican National Convention?

All of the New York delegates will be bound under party rules to vote for the candidate they represent at the party convention -- but only for the first ballot. After that ballot, the delegates are free to choose a candidate.

The GOP presidential nominee will need to win at least 1,237 votes from the 2,472 delegates at the national convention to clinch the Republican nomination.

Heading into the New York primary, Republican front-runner Donald Trump will need to win almost 70 percent of the remaining bound delegates in order to reach 1,237 votes.

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