Sanders supporter submitting plan to end superdelegates

A Maine Democrat is reportedly submitting a plan to eliminate the role of superdelegates at the Democratic National Convention.

State Rep. Diane Russell — who supports Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for president — is sending the amendment to the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairs, Politico reported.

{mosads}The amendment would remove the section of the DNC charter that allows for superdelegates.

“To build a fair economy that works for everyone we must first build a fair election system that works for everyone,” Russell said.

In May, the state representative led an effort to allocate Maine’s superdelegates based on the results of the state’s presidential caucuses. Sanders won the state with nearly 65 percent support.

Sanders has often complained about the superdelegate system and pushed for changes to the Democratic presidential nominating process. He has said superdelegates should align their support with the candidate who won their state’s contest.

Hillary Clinton, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has a huge edge in superdelegate support over Sanders.

Other Sanders backers and top liberal Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), have also supported changing or eliminating the superdelegate system.

To pass Russell’s amendment, it needs to be taken up by a Rules Committee member. It then needs 20 percent support from the committee to be voted on. If passed, the amendment would be effective during the 2020 presidential election.