Superdelegates have destroyed the will of the people: As a political activist and hopeful millennial, I won’t support a broken system by voting for Hillary
If Clinton is the Democratic nominee, I'll leave the presidential column of my general election ballot blank
TOPICS: BERNIE SANDERS, EDITOR'S PICKS, ELECTIONS 2016, HILLARY CLINTON, SUPERDELEGATES, ELECTIONS NEWS, NEWS, POLITICS NEWS
Hillary Clinton (Credit: AP/Patrick Semansky)
Four years ago, I attended a College Democrats conference in Chicago. I set foot inside Obama’s campaign headquarters and felt the enthusiasm about his presidency first-hand. For the first time, I called myself a Democrat with confidence. Democracy empowered me. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the entire world.
Throughout my college career, I was actively involved with the College Democrats. I served as president. I recruited friends to attend meetings, volunteer for voter registration drives, petition for candidates, canvass in local neighborhoods and spread the word about upcoming presidential debates. I even formed close relationships with fellow Democrats through it. Civic engagement and active citizenship was my life. I wanted to empower everyone around me to exercise their political power.
Nonetheless, during these events, I sometimes came across striking reactions to my passion. I once knocked on a registered Democrat’s door. I rehearsed one sentence before the resident shouted, “THE PARTY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT MY VOTE,” and slammed the door in my face. During a voter registration drive on my college campus, a peer asked me, “What’s the point of voting if [Al] Gore didn’t win?” That peer walked away. I didn’t know how to respond to these critics back then, and I still don’t today.
This election, I feel different. As an otherwise hopeful millennial, it’s becoming more apparent our political system is broken, corrupt and unjust. This isn’t an unpopular opinion for my generation, either. Admittedly, I feel conflicted as a political activist. I’m uncomfortable abstaining from the most invaluable, basic aspect of democracy. It’s a new concept for me. However, shedding my Democratic label is also new to me.
In the Wyoming caucus Sanders won the popular vote by 12%, but Clinton scored four more superdelegates.
On Monday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough discussed the disenfranchisement thrust on voters.
“Why does the Democratic party even have voting booths? This system is so rigged,” Scarborough said.
“We always talk about voter turnout and how it important is to do your duty as a citizen. There’s absolutely no reason any of those people voted,” Brzezinski adds.
“These are the rules,” said Mark Halperin of Bloomberg News “It’s not rigged.”
Even Donald Trump, in defending Bernie Sanders, slammed the delegate system.
“For the last five weeks, you turn on your television. Sanders wins, Sanders wins, again Sanders wins, like seven or eight or nine. He keeps winning, and then you listen to the people and the pundits. They say, ‘There’s no chance of winning.’ I say, ‘What’s going on?’ Because you have superdelegates.”
While I might agree with this phrase within reason, I can’t deny who this GOP candidate will likely run against. Superdelegates unfairly favor Clinton. There’s no question why Trump would be against this system. News organizations, meanwhile, are preoccupied with superdelegate counts without concentrating on the popular vote of the public. That’s unjust.
Although I intend to vote for those running for Congress in my area, I am not as confident when it comes to the presidential ticket. I am likely to leave that column blank. Here’s why.
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