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Democrats Strip Superdelegates Of Power In Historic Reform Vote
Democrats Strip Superdelegates Of Power In Historic Reform Vote
The Democratic National Committee’s changes aim to heal the lingering divisions of the 2016 presidential primary.
By Daniel Marans
08/25/2018 01:16 PM ET
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Updated 2 hours ago
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez aligned with the left wing of the Democratic Party in promoting a slate of reforms that disempowered superdelegates.
(Aaron Bernstein / Reuters)
CHICAGO ― In a long-awaited bid to reinvigorate the Democratic Party and heal the divides of the 2016 presidential primary, the Democratic National Committee voted Saturday to disempower superdelegates as part of a package of historic party reforms.
The vote, at the DNC’s summer meeting, marked the culmination of more than two years of debate, hand-wringing and negotiation over the future of the party.
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The biggest change approved by the more than 400 voting members of the DNC addressed the polarizing issue of so-called superdelegates ― the delegates at the presidential nominating convention free to support a candidate of their choosing, regardless of how primary or caucus voters cast ballots in their state.
The plan, supported by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and allies of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), strips superdelegates of the ability to vote on the first ballot at a presidential nominating convention ― unless a candidate already has such a large delegate advantage from caucus and primary wins that he or she would win the nomination without superdelegate support.
“We made these changes because it’s never too late to do the right thing,” said California DNC member Michael Kapp, who supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primary. “By restoring trust to our presidential primary process, we are reinforcing the fact that Democrats are the party of the people.”
We should do everything we can to build trust and confidence in the party that will help with unity.Jay Jacobs
Shortly before the final vote, Don Fowler, a former DNC chairman and leading opponent of the reforms, recognized that his side was certain to lose. Seeking to save people’s time, Fowler motioned to suspend the rules and have the DNC membership approve the reform package by an informal vote of acclamation.
In the end, the DNC overwhelmingly passed the reform package by a voice vote of acclamation.
Curbing the influence of superdelegates, which include members of Congress and all DNC members, was a key goal of Sanders supporters following the 2016 presidential primary. They argue that Democratic rival Clinton’s early support from superdelegates created an air of inevitability that unfairly tilted the race in her favor, whether or not it affected the contest’s final outcome.
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But by the time of Saturday’s vote, Perez and other key figures in the party establishment more associated with Clinton had long since concluded that superdelegate reform was a price worth paying for intra-party peace. A number of Democratic officials emphasized that the change sought to address the “perception” of unfairness in the presidential nominating process as much as the reality.
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