Delegate

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For the computer science term, see delegation (programming).

A delegate is an individual (or a member of a group called a delegation) who represents the interests of a larger organization (e.g. a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting of some kind (e.g. trade talks, an environmental summit, aid negotiations, or an industrial dispute).

In order to avoid the principal-agent problem, it is generally important to the organization to take steps to ensure that the delegate or delegation does not have a conflict of interest. Failure to do so may reduce the chances of the organization's viewpoint being represented as well as possible.

[edit] Politics

Delegates from the major political parties are involved in the selection of candidates for President of the United States by such assemblies as a convention. Some of the officials involved in the process are called superdelegates.

Delegate is the title of a person elected to the United States House of Representatives to serve the interests of an organized United States territory, at present only overseas, but historically in most cases in a portion of North America as precursor to one or more of the present states of the union. Delegates have powers similar to that of Representatives, including the right to vote in committee, but have no right to take part in the floor votes in which the full house actually decides whether the proposal is carried. See: Delegate (United States Congress).

A similar mandate is held in a few cases under the style Resident commissioner.

• Delegate is also the title given to individuals elected to the lower houses of the bicameral legislative bodies of the states of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia (see House of Delegates).

members of other parliamentary assemblies, such as the Continental Congress or the New York State Constitutional 

• Members of a body charged with writing or revising a foundational or other basic governmental document (such as members of a constitutional convention are usually referred to as "delegates".

[edit] Other uses

Delegate is the name of a small town in New South Wales, Australia.

[edit] See also

• Apostolic delegate (papal)
• Papal delegate was the title of a Prelate in charge of a 'delegation', a type of temporal province within the Papal States
• Pontifical Delegate (papal, various purposes)
• Edelegate - Electronic delegation of services