How does appointing works?

Answer 1

The best way I know to explain this is to describe how the process has changed over the years. A long time ago there were no primaries or conventions. Party leaders met in "smoke filled rooms" and chose who the candidates would be. Obviously, this wasn't very fair to the voters. Only a few people controlled the nomination process. No one knew what secret deals were being made.

Later, parties started conventions and brought a few hundred delegates together to choose a candidate. This widened the process, and eliminated some of the secrecy, but still pretty much limited it to a handful of white males.

Reforms in the 1960s created the primary system as we know it. Now any registered voter can have a say in who the candidates are. Conventions are still held to write a party platform and kick off the campaign. Delegates that attend the convention still officially vote for and decide the nomination. They are supposed to vote for the candidate that the state's voters chose, and since the delegates are loyal members of the party, they almost always cast their vote the way they are supposed to. But if no candidate gathered enough delegates, the convention has to decide. Also, if for some reason no candidate was decided on the first ballot (voting round) then the delegates may start changing their votes on subsequent ballots.

So, the convention is more of a formality now, but it is possible that the nomination could be decided at the convention. Candidates in third place may also have delegates at the convention, and if there are enough of them, the candidate might encourage his or her delegates to vote for the second place candidate. The combination of votes might put the second place candidate over the top.

Have I confused you more?