Democrats strip superdelegates of power and reform caucuses in 'historic' move
Tom Perez and Bernie Sanders teamed up to push the biggest reform package the party has seen in decades.
Image: Democratic National Convention Philadelphia
Workers prepare the stage ahead of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 24, 2016.Jim Young / Reuters
Aug. 25, 2018, 11:10 AM PDT
By Alex Seitz-Wald
CHICAGO — The Democratic National Committee voted Saturday to significantly curtail the power of superdelegates and make presidential caucuses more accessible, overcoming objections from a vocal minority of its membership.
The reform package, pushed by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and allies of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, among others, passed overwhelmingly by voice vote at the DNC’s summer meeting here — two years after the process started.
Perez and others hailed the outcome as momentous, saying the reforms will help welcome new people into the party by reassuring them that their vote will never be overruled by the party leaders who can vote for whomever they want for the presidential nomination.