![]() Although, she has heard from 20 or 30 Sanders supporters trying to get her to switch. That time, she said, the FBI got involved. "As far as I know, this is probably only the second time I've been on a hit list, and the other one was not pleasant."Įlliott is a state senator in Arkansas and the last time she was on a hit list, it was over legislation she had introduced. "That is, that is very interesting," Elliott said after laughing uncomfortably. When Clinton-backing super delegate Joyce Elliott heard she was on, what at the time was called the Superdelegate Hit List, she was taken aback. I expected you would be smarter than that." "How dare you vote against your own interests as an African-American woman. "They said, you know, you should go to hell," said Ensley, describing another message. "Maybe you will do some soul searching and have some integrity and think about the decisions you're making and its implications."Įnsley said she's been called names, and there have been expletives. "You should be ashamed of yourself," Ensley reads from a recent Facebook message she received. She has to check her professional Facebook page several times a day to deal with all the messages and posts. Akilah Ross Ensley is with the Young Democrats of America, and she's a superdelegate who plans to support Clinton. Superdelegates have been hearing from Sanders supporters for months - and it's not always pleasant. ![]() This is the only way to keep the voter base from being patronized or ignored." Contacting our elected representatives and party leaders and holding them to account is an American tradition. The Superdelegate List exists to help voters challenge this undemocratic system. ![]() "Superdelegates, by their very nature, diminish the value of the vote by giving an elite constituency of representatives, party leaders, and even lobbyists extra power. "The superdelegate system is rigged to protect establishment politicians and shut down populism," Thayer said. Super Delegate Hit List/Screen shot by NPR It is not affiliated with the Sanders campaign, but a campaign spokesman didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. This week, a Sanders fan named Spencer Thayer created the "Superdelegate Hit List," a website to compile and share the contact information of superdelegates, so they can be persuaded. In fact the campaign's website lists hundreds of organizing events, many posted by volunteers, but the campaign has moved to remove any events related to reaching out to superdelegates.īut this hasn't stopped Sanders' enthusiastic supporters from taking matters into their own hands. The Sanders campaign still has its focus on winning as many pledged delegates as possible in the states still yet to vote, like New York, Pennsylvania and California and the campaign is trying to direct supporters looking to help to volunteering or organizing in those states. But that's also because that number is a majority of all the voting delegates, which includes superdelegates. It's true that no one will likely have the 2,383 delegates needed for the nomination strictly out of the pledged delegates. Well, the truth of the matter is, it looks like the Democrats are going into an open convention as well." So there's been a lot of talk about how the Republicans are going into an open convention. ![]() "And the superdelegates don't vote until you actually get into the convention process. "Nobody is going to arrive in Philadelphia with enough delegates to win the nomination," said Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager. ![]() And then, under this scenario, it will be up to superdelegates, who make up roughly 15 percent of total convention delegates, to decide who gets the nomination. AnotherĪsks superdelegates to align their choice with regular voters, not party elites, and it has more than 200,000 signatures.Īt the moment, more than halfway through the primary process, this would favor Clinton, who leads the popular vote by more than 2 million votes and has a more than 200-pledged-delegate lead (that is, delegates who align with the results of state primaries and caucuses).īut Sanders supporters point to the senator's string of recent wins and figure by the time the last vote is counted in California, he will have the popular lead. One calls for theĮlimination of superdelegates altogether. To Bernie Sanders supporters, the idea that Democratic superdelegates - elected officials and other party elites who can vote however they wish at the convention - could tip the nomination to Hillary Clinton seems terribly undemocratic.Īnd so, they're trying to convince superdelegates, officially known as unpledged party leaders and elected officials, to change their allegiance. ![]()
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