DNC Chairman Tom Perez said the proposal would help to ensure “that no candidate will be able to have an accumulated lead, whether it’s real or perceived, before a ballot has been cast.” | Pete Marovich/Getty Images DNC fight over superdelegates nears resolution

Democratic National Committee officials on Wednesday moved forward with a proposal to reduce the influence of superdelegates in the party’s presidential nomination process, edging closer to resolving a long-simmering dispute between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The rule change, approved in concept by the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, would prohibit superdelegates from voting on the first presidential nominating ballot at a contested national convention. Only if a candidate had earned enough pledged delegates from state parties and caucuses to win the nomination would superdelegates be allowed to vote on the first ballot.


The proposal, which is expected to be ratified by the committee in July, has been a priority of Sanders’ supporters since the Vermont senator’s defeat in a bitterly contested primary in 2016. If formally approved, the full DNC will take the measure up in August.

“Congratulations to Chairman Perez and the members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee for voting today to limit the power of super delegates in the Democratic presidential nominating process,” said Sanders in a statement. “This decision will ensure that delegates elected by voters in primaries and caucuses will have the primary role in selecting the Democratic Party's nominee at the 2020 convention. This is a major step forward in making the Democratic Party more open and transparent, and I applaud their action.“

Speaking to committee members on a conference call, DNC Chairman Tom Perez commended Democrats for work that he said has helped “rebuild the trust among many who feel, frankly, alienated from our party.”

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He said the proposal would help to ensure “that no candidate will be able to have an accumulated lead, whether it’s real or perceived, before a ballot has been cast.”

“No automatic delegate will cast a first ballot vote unless the nomination has already been decided,” Perez said.

Don Fowler, a former DNC chairman, said the party’s existing rules have “worked very well” for Democrats and that changing them would be “ludicrous.” But the committee overwhelmingly embraced the measure pending its review of formal language next month.

