by Colette Georgii

Created on: March 04, 2008   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

WHAT ARE THOSE SUPERDELEGATES?

Superdelegates may be the deciding factor in the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States if neither candidate, Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton gets the majority of delegates needed to win - 2,025 delegates.

DELEGATES

When we go to the poles to vote in a Primary or Caucus, we are actually voting for delegates. In the Democratic Party the votes are given out proportionally to delegates according to the percentage of votes each candidate gets. The Republican Party has a "Winner Take all System, whereby the winner gets all the delegates.

As an example, the Democratic Party would give 40% of the delegates to the one who has received 40% of the votes in a given state. If there were a candidate that also got 30% of the vote this candidate would get 30% of the delegates for that state. However, a candidate must get at least 15% of the vote to get any delegates at all.

The Republican Party runs their nomination process a little different. The candidate who gets the most votes gets all the delegates and there is no 15% clause.

In the 2008 Nomination for President of the United States, the Democrats have a total of 4,049 delegates with only a majority needed to gain the nomination for President or 2,025 delegates.

The Republicans need only 1,191 delegates out of a total of 2,380 delegates.

The total number of delegates in the Democratic Party is divided up into Pledged delegates and Superdelegates. The Republican Party divides its delegates into Pledged and Unpledged delegates.

When you vote you are voting for pledged delegates who are committed to voting for their pledged candidate (the candidate you voted for) at the Democratic National Convention. Although committed they can change their vote at the Convention, but this is usually not likely since they are usually actively involved in campaigning for their chosen candidate.

Also a candidate may review all his pledged delegates and remove any that do not seem reliable or committed to voting their pledged vote according to their pledge.

SUPERDELEGATES

Out of the total of 4,049 delegates in the Democratic Party there are 3,353 pledged delegates and 796 superdelegates.

Superdelegates are chosen by the Party and are usually knowledgeable and politically experienced people such as Governors, members of Congress or the Senate, National Committee Members or Party Leaders. They can be former Speakers of the House, former Senate leaders, former minority leaders of the House or

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