On Tuesday, the Utah Democratic Party’s Central Committee passed a resolution that calls on the national party to do away with superdelegates entirely. By a vote of 91 to 47 in favor, the state party sent a clear message that it was time to end the use of unpledged convention voters.
Lauren Littlefield, Executive Director of the state Democratic Party, said that the increased presence of new and first-time voters encouraged debate on the topic.
“Definitely a new conversation. Superdelegates is something we haven’t really talked about since the 2008 presidential race. It’s kind of conversation we’re having nationally,” Littlefield said. “It was brought home to Utah. It’s definitely a conversation that I’ve heard especially from the newly-engaged voters after the caucuses, talking about superdelegates and feelings of disenfranchisement and things like that.”
A separate resolution that would have punished super delegates for voting for candidates other than the winner of the Utah caucus was defeated. Littlefield said that the debate surrounding unpledged convention delegates echoes a broader conversation about elections.
“The overarching conversation we’re having here is about the role of political parties in elections and transparency of elections. If you look at even here in Utah locally, SB54 is the same conversation we’re having,” she said. “In November, we’re going to be have the same conversation about the Electoral College. It seems like a national conversation about people’s voices holding an equal amount of weight to everyone else’s voice.”
The passed resolution is nonbinding.
