After primary elections, the Republican and Democratic parties hold national conventions to nominate their presidential candidates. Delegates represent the popular vote for each district, but superdelegates are elected officials who can cast individual votes for their preferred candidate. Democrats have 796 superdelegates, while Republicans have about 400. Some people criticize the superdelegate system for not fully representing the will of the people.
After primary elections have been held for people choosing to run for president of the United States, the Republican and Democratic parties each hold a national convention. In this convention, the person who will represent the party and run in the presidential elections is nominated. Part of this nomination is determined by delegates, which represent the number of votes cast in the primary or caucus during the primary period. Each delegate is a representation of the popular vote for each district. It is possible to get more individual votes and still enter the primaries with fewer delegates. A superdelegate is something else entirely and is an elected official in the Democratic Party who can cast an individual vote for his or her candidate of choice not based on citizens’ votes.
Until the 1970s, party officials chose their presidential candidate. Primaries and caucuses became the primary method of giving people the choice of who they wanted to run, not leaving the decision up to the party alone. But both Republicans and Democrats still wanted to have a say in the final decision, which led to the creation of the superdelegate or uncommitted delegate role. Superdelegates are chosen differently by party.
Democrats currently have 796 superdelegate members. These are made up of all Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, Democratic Committee members, and other elected Democratic officials. In all there are a total of 4,049 superdelegates and delegates, and winning the Democratic nomination means getting 2,025 delegate votes. These numbers are subject to change and have changed from convention to convention based on a number of factors. Technically, a Democrat can win the nomination without any superdelegate support, but if the race is close, those votes can be hugely important.
The Republican Party has about 400 superdelegate members. They are often simply called uncommitted delegates because the term superdelegate comes from the Democratic Party. They have far less influence, unless the race is extremely tight, in the final nomination of their presidential candidate.
Many people feel that the nomination of superdelegate candidates and/or their existence is not in keeping with the democratic ideals of the election. Superdelegates can oppose the will of the people in a close election and do not have to make their choice based on the popular vote. Other factors such as personal relationships, political affiliations, or simply liking or disliking a person can influence the choice of a superdelegate. People often criticize this nomination process as not fully representing the will of the people.
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