This could be the moment that the Bernie Sanders folks have been waiting for. The state of Maine is holding its Democratic caucus this coming weekend.
At that event, according to US Uncut, Portland’s Diane Russell has introduced an amendment to the party’s platform that will require all superdelegates to be awarded proportionally according to how the state vote turns out.
Right now, the so-called “super” delegates can vote for any candidate of their choice at the National Democratic Convention. This leaves them open to all kinds of influence-shaping activities, and has led to a lot of concern about them having more power than the party’s actual individual voters.
Representative Russell wants to change that, especially given the fact that Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton by double digits (64 percent to 35 percent) at the Maine caucuses, but Hillary still claimed four out of five of the “super” delegates.
The Democratic party’s “super” delegates are, according to the Pew Research Center:
“…the embodiment of the institutional Democratic Party – everyone from former presidents, congressional leaders and big-money fundraisers to mayors, labor leaders and longtime local party functionaries. Nearly six-in-ten are men, close to two-thirds are white, and their average age (as best we could tell) is around 60.”
Sanders and his supporters have been saying for months now that it is unfair for people like Bill Clinton to be able to carry an undeclared delegate vote. It seems that Maine is agreeing with those Sanders folks who believe that the election should be far more representative of the will of the American electorate.
The Democratic Party from Maine is hoping to spark a debate that will carry all the way to the National Convention in Philadelphia. They are hoping that if Sanders continues to win states, or to come in close behind Clinton, the so-called “super” delegates will decide to reflect the will of the people, and will cast their votes for him.
Could this be the moment that the Berners have been waiting for?
For a hilarious take on what superdelegates are, see the video from Samantha Bee below:
Featured image by Marsh Gardiner via Flickr. Available through a Creative Commons License 2.0.
