The democrats have their super-delegates ("The Democratic National Committee includes 712 “superdelegates,” usually elected officials and party leaders, whose votes at the convention are not bound to a candidate based on primary and caucus results." Definition from FiveThirtyEight), and the Republicans have their unbound delegates, many from states that didn't have a voting state primary. There's criticism of the super-delegates, because they could determine an outcome not in line with the popular vote for a candidate. But, the same can be true regarding the unbound delegates, chosen in individual state Republican conventions, who did not hold a voting primary or caucus. As was quoted in the attached article: “'It just validates all the worst things they believe about our party,' said Mr. Cramer, who last weekend endorsed Mr. Trump. 'That it’s a bunch of people in smoke-filled rooms that make decisions on behalf of constituents.'”

I'm not a prognosticator, but it makes me wonder how motivated Republicans, in such states, will be to vote for a candidate not of their choosing. Fortunately, there are not many states who are going down this route. However, if the trend continues, it could be a big problem in the future.