There has been all sorts of fuss from the Obama campaign about what will happen if the Super Delegates overthrow the supposed will of the people. I have another question, though, what if the caucus-selected delegates overthrow the will of the people? More beneath the fold.
Let's start out with some basic facts. A caucus is not an election. Elections are organized so as to protect the right for equal and uncoerced participation. Protections for that include:
a. A lengthy period of time to vote encompassing at least an entire day and part of the evening.
b. Opportunities for mail-in voting for people who are unable to physically attend on the day of the election.
c. A secret ballot.
Caucuses provide none of these protections. They don't have to, because they are not elections. Rather, they are opportunities for party activists to get together and select delegates. In most cases, a small proportion of the electorate chooses to participate in caucuses, for a variety of reasons, including that others simply do not have the time to take away from work or family responsibilities.
So, basically, we have three sources of delegates:
- Pledged delegates from secret-ballot elections accessible to all voters (i.e., primaries)
- Pledged delegates selected by small numbers of party activists (i.e., caucuses)
- Unpledged delegates from party leaders (i.e., super delegates)
Now, most super delegates are either elected officials, Democratic Party leaders, or, in small number of cases, leaders of key constituent groups within the Democratic Party. Caucus goers, on the other hand, are local activists (and disproportionately high-income) who are accountable to no one but themselves.
Can somebody please explain why delegates chosen by small number of party activists accountable to no one represent "the will of the people" while super delegates who are elected officials, Democratic party leaders, or leaders of key constituent group do not?
I would put it this way: if one candidate has the majority of delegates from the primaries and the super delegates, but the caucus delegates overturn that majority, THAT is an outrage against the will of the people, because the caucus-chosen delegates are the least democratic group at the convention! And even more so if the candidate who is denied the nomination is a female, since caucuses often make it difficult for women to either participate at all (because they are disproportionately involved in caregiving) or to participate freely (because they are subject to intimidation by male relatives or other caucus goers). If that happens, I predict that women will riot all over the country!