Democratic National Committee (DNC) members are weighing a new proposal to eliminate all superdelegates from the party’s nominating process, BuzzFeed News reported Thursday.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee have been discussing the proposal on superdelegates created by the Unity Reform Commission, which was created after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 primary battle.
The unity commission had called to reduce superdelegates by about 60 percent, but the Rules and Bylaws Committee is now considering taking the proposal even further.
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The DNC members are debating language that would call for the committee to either “reduce,” “substantially reduce” or “eliminate” superdelegates, according to BuzzFeed.
Superdelegates are not bound to states’ election results in primaries, and can support whichever candidate they choose to at their party’s nominating convention.
The delegates became a major point of contention during the 2016 Democratic primary, with some Sanders supporters believing that establishment Democrats serving as superdelegates rigged the primary in Clinton’s favor.
The committee is expected to agree on a proposal ahead of the next Democratic Party meeting, which will take place this summer or fall. The proposal will come up for a final vote at that meeting.
The measure will need two-thirds support from the 447 DNC members in order to pass, according to BuzzFeed.