Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) made the case that superdelegates, the people who automatically vote for the candidate of their choosing, need to go. Superdelegates are elected officials that are part of the Democratic Party, like members of Congress. It has been said the superdelegates have a far greater influence over the Democratic National Committee's nomination process, as evidenced in 2008 when the nomination was between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Gabbard's comments came when Fox News' Neil Cavuto asked her about the voting disaster taking place in Iowa. DNC Chair Tom Perez has called on Iowa to recanvas the results of their caucuses since numerous inconsistencies in calculations have been reported.
"I think the more we learn about all of the things that went wrong really are a disservice to the voters in Iowa who went and spent their time to make their voices be heard and yet their voices have not been heard in a resounding and very clear way," Gabbard told Fox News' Neil Cavuto."I would think whether it's the Iowa Caucus chair working in concert with the DNC chair, they would proactively themselves want to go and make sure those results are accurately counted to best serve the residents of Iowa."
Even though making sure the results of the Iowa Caucuses are accurate is something important, Gabbard believes the DNC needs to move a step forward and get rid of superdelegates altogether and make the Democratic primaries open.
"What I've been advocating for now for years are some key reforms to our Democratic primaries. I think they should be open primaries. I think they should allow same-day registration," she explained.
Gabbard provided an example of someone wanting to vote but not being able to because he or she didn't register months ahead of time.
"I think we need to get rid of superdelegates," she said. "Once again, this is continuing to be an issue of concern to voters here in New Hampshire who are worried about their vote actually being counted and how they don't want it to be overruled by a small group of individuals who can come in and say, 'You know, I don't think you guys know what you're doing. We're gonna come in and decide this election.'"
The DNC reformed the superdelegate system heading into the 2020 election cycle. Instead of being able to vote on the first ballot, superdelegates have to wait and vote on the second ballot. Gabbard believes that's a small step in the right direction but it's not enough.
"I think we need to get rid of super delegates... this is continuing to be an issue of concern to voters... who are worried about their vote actually being counted and how they don’t want it to be overruled by a small group of individuals," Tulsi Gabbard tells Neil Cavuto. pic.twitter.com/8b5T9n2qC6
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 8, 2020
Join the conversation as a VIP Member