What role do superdelegates typically play in the democratic presidential nominating contest?

In any election, there’s a ton of information to get a handle on. When can you vote? Can you vote early? Where can you vote? And oh yeah, who and what are you voting for?

On top of all that, the electoral process in the US can be just plain confusing—no matter how much attention you, ahem, paid in American Government class.

There’s the general election in November, and before that, the nominating contests. For these contests, most states hold primaries. But some states have caucuses instead.

What’s the difference between a caucus and primary, anyways? We’ve got you covered there already—as we do on how to pronounce that tricky word candidate.

Then there are delegates and superdelegates. Superdelegates: do they have some kind of voting superpower or something? And to complicate things even more, the Democratic and Republican parties have different rules for choosing their nominees.

Regardless of which candidate you support, we want to make sure you’re informed—on the complicated language of US elections. Let’s break down this delegate vs. superdelegate business.

What are delegates?

During a presidential election, the two major political parties, Democrats and Republicans, pick their candidate at their national conventions. The nominee is the candidate who wins the majority of their party’s delegates.

A delegate is “a person designated to act for or represent another or others,” especially a representative at a political convention—such as at the Democratic or Republican National Convention.

Members of a political party can apply to be delegates, and often include local politicians, early supporters of candidates, and other activists. Most delegates represent a congressional district. They pledge their support and campaign for a candidate and then work to get chosen to be a part of their state’s delegation.

During primaries and caucuses, presidential candidates campaign to get the votes from members of their party (and, in some primaries, independents). In the Democratic party, candidates who secure at least 15% of the overall vote cross the threshold for winning delegates, which are awarded proportionally. Some Republican delegates are awarded proportionally, while some states use a winner-take-all system during the primaries.

The Democratic party uses a fairly complex formula (if you ask us) to determine the allocation of delegates to candidates. The number of delegates each state gets is based on the state’s Democratic vote in the past three presidential elections and the number of votes that state has in the Electoral College.

What are superdelegates?

Now, onto superdelegates. They are also called unpledged or automatic delegates. Regular ol’ delegates are sometimes called pledged delegates, in distinction.

A superdelegate is “a party leader or elected public official chosen as an uncommitted delegate to a national political convention.” Want to show off your political chops? Use PLEO, taken from the initial letters of party leaders and elected officials.

Superdelegates are “uncommitted” because they can vote for whichever candidate they want regardless of the outcome of the primaries—a status designated by that prefix super-, meaning “above” or “beyond.” They include members of Congress and governors as well as former party leaders.

The term superdelegate dates back to the early 1980s. They have long caused friction in the Democratic party, as they can support a candidate even if the public did not (and thus many feel have undue power). They are at the center of the debate over the degree of influence primary voters have compared to party insiders in choosing the candidate.

Due to controversies over superdelegates, the Democratic party reformed its rules about superdelegates for the 2020 election. At the party convention, superdelegates cannot vote during the first ballot. They can only vote if an additional round of voting is needed—meaning, if a candidate didn’t win a majority of delegates outright.

Currently, there are 4,750 delegates at the Democratic National Convention. Of them, 3,979 are pledged delegates (and 771 are unpledged). To win the nomination, a candidate needs to win a majority, which, based on party rules, comes to 1,991. If a candidate gets the vote of 1,991 or more delegates during the first ballot at the convention, they have won the nomination for the general election.

If they haven’t, the convention becomes what is known as contested. Additional rounds of voting are needed. Pledged delegates become unpledged and superdelegates come into play.

The Republican party has superdelegates, too, but they are limited to three per state and have to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in the nominating contests (primaries and caucuses).

Speaking of super …

Super Tuesday refers to the day, typically in March, when party members in many states vote in primary elections to select their party’s candidates. (Primaries can be scrapped or nominating processes changed when an incumbent president is running for reelection, as is the case for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.)

For the 2020 election, Super Tuesday was on March 3. Democratic voters in 14 states (plus caucuses in American Samoa and among registered Democrats who live abroad) awarded a total of 1,357 delegates—the lion’s share of the 1,991 needed to win the nomination. That’s what makes Super Tuesday such an important day—and an important day to know your difference between a delegate and superdelegate.

While you mentally prepare for upcoming elections, take a moment to think about how your vote fits into a plurality vs. a majority. And it would be wise to brush up on some of the worst alternatives to democracy and learn the difference between fascism and Nazism.

Delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention selected Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee on August 18, 2020. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state, territory, or Democrats Abroad at the convention.

In 2020, there were 4,750 delegates: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegates—more commonly known as superdelegates.[1]

To win the Democratic nomination, a presidential candidate needed to receive support from a majority of the pledged delegates on the first ballot: 1,991 pledged delegates.[2][3]

If the convention was contested and went to a second ballot or more, automatic delegates—commonly referred to as superdelegates—were able to vote and a candidate must have received majority support from all delegates—2,375.5 votes. Previously, superdelegates were able to vote on the first ballot. This rule changed after the 2016 presidential election, when the Unity Reform Commission proposed several ways to reduce the number and power of superdelegates.[4][5] To learn more about the 2016 Democratic National Convention, click here.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, several states postponed their primaries. Under Rule 12 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, no primary or caucus was permitted to take place after June 9, 2020. Any state violating that rule could have been subject to delegate reduction penalties.

This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention and a summary of delegates by state. Election dates, delegate counts, and delegate allocation rules are subject to change as each state finalizes its delegation selection process. To see recent election and political coverage, view Ballotpedia's homepage.

Presidential nomination roll call

The following spreadsheet contains the number of delegates each candidate received during the presidential nomination roll call at the Democratic National Convention on August 18, 2020. It was updated live during the event.

Pledged delegate count

Delegate totals reflect the estimated allocation prior to candidate withdrawals or state party conventions. These estimates may differ from the delegate allocation announced at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Click here to read Ballotpedia's most recent political coverage.

Delegate selection and allocation

Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state at their party's national nominating convention. They are typically party activists, local political leaders, or early supporters of a particular presidential candidate. They are either selected in primaries, caucuses, or local party conventions, or included because of their positions as elected representatives or members of the party leadership.[6]

The number of delegates awarded to each state is determined by a formula that factors the state's popular vote for the Democratic nominee in the previous three elections, the state's electoral votes, and when the state's primary is held.[7]

Each state has its own method for selecting delegates that may occur at the county, district, and/or state level. In some states, a voter directly votes for a presidential candidate in the presidential preference primary and delegates are separately chosen at party conventions.[8] In other states, a voter indirectly votes for a presidential candidate by supporting a delegate or delegates committed to him or her.[9]

Delegates are allocated proportionally based on the outcome of each state's primary contest. A candidate is typically only eligible to receive a share of the pledged delegates at stake if they win at least 15 percent of votes cast in a primary or caucus. That standard is referred to as the 15 percent threshold.[10] In addition to pledged delegates, there are alternate delegates for each state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad. Alternates attend the convention but do not vote unless a pledged delegate was unable to attend.[11][12]

Pledged vs. automatic delegates

Pledged delegates

Pledged delegates are elected during primaries, caucuses, or party conventions, and must express either a presidential candidate preference or an uncommitted preference as a condition of their election. Rule 13(J) of the Democratic National Committee defines a pledged delegate's responsibility:

There are three distinct types of pledged delegates:[14]

• Pledged district delegates are distributed and elected at the congressional or state legislative district level.

• Pledged at-large delegates are distributed and elected statewide.

• Pledged PLEO delegates are party leaders and elected officials. Pledged PLEO delegates are most often selected in a similar manner to at-large delegates.[14]

Automatic delegates

Automatic delegates are unpledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Automatic delegates, who are often called superdelegates, are not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate. Automatic delegates include members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, or distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. They are free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing.[14]

Following the 2016 presidential election, the Unity Reform Commission was formed to revise the Democratic nominating process, including reducing the number and power of automatic delegates.[15][16][17] At the conclusion of the party's national convention on August 25, 2018, officials voted to adopt a measure banning automatic delegates from voting on the first ballot at a contested national convention.[18]

Overview of Democratic pledged and automatic delegates by state

The map below compares delegate counts by state. A lighter shade of blue indicates a smaller number of delegates while a darker shade indicates a larger number.

The following chart lists the election type, delegate type breakdown, and total delegates for each state and territory.

Percentage of Democratic pledged delegates awarded over time

The following chart and table show the percentage of pledged delegates awarded over time following the primary or caucus of each state and territory. The percentage reflects the percentage of pledged delegates awarded by each date.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, several states have changed their presidential primary or caucus election dates and administrative procedures. As a result, the percentage of delegates allocated over time is subject to change.

Possible delegate penalties for postponing elections

Under Rule 12 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, no primary or caucus could take place after June 9, 2020. The rule says, in part, the following:[19]

A memo sent to members of the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) in March 2020 said there could be penalties for postponing a primary past this date. The memo said, "If a state violates the rule on timing, or any other rule, they could be subject to penalties as prescribed in Rule 21, including at least a 50% reduction in delegates, which will need to be reviewed by the RBC."[20]

The memo also recommended state parties follow guidance from local health officials. It continued, "We acknowledge the situation is very different in every state and want to give state parties flexibility to adjust their plans to address their own situations and local guidance.”[20]

The calculation of bonus delegates, awarded for holding primaries later in the election cycle or with other regional states, could also be affected by changes to the election calendar. On April 10, 2020, political scientist Josh Putnam discussed the challenges of recalculating bonus delegates in a FiveThirtyEight article:

What happens to delegates allocated to candidates who withdraw?

The Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention included two provisions regarding the binding of delegates to the candidates they supported at the time of their selection.[11]

Beyond this, the Delegate Selection Rules did not directly address how a candidate's withdrawal from the race before the convention affected the delegates pledged to that candidate. However, in 12 states, statutes established provisions for the release of delegates either upon a candidate's withdrawal or after a specific number of ballots had been taken at the national convention. The table below identifies these states. In the column titled "Candidate withdrawal or release provision," a "yes" indicates that the statute allowed for the release of pledged delegates either upon a candidate's withdrawal or at the explicit direction of the candidate. In the column titled "Multiple ballot provision," a "yes" indicates that the statute allowed for the release of a pledged delegate after a specific number of ballots had been taken at the convention (the number in parentheses indicates the ballot on which the delegates would be released). The full text of relevant statutes and their citations are also provided.

Republican delegate rules

The 2020 Republican presidential nominee will be selected by delegates to the Republican National Convention, which will be held August 24-27, 2020, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee and adopts a party platform. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state or territory at the convention.

In 2020, there were an estimated 2,551 delegates: 2,441 pledged delegates and 110 unpledged delegates.

To win the Republican nomination, a presidential candidate must receive support from a majority of delegates—an estimated 1,276 delegates.[22] Approximately two-thirds of pledged delegates, who are bound to vote on at least the first ballot at the national convention based on the results of their states' primary or caucus, will have been allocated by the end of March 2020.

This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention, their selection and allocation, and a summary of delegates by state.

Click here to learn more about 2016 Republican Party delegate rules by state.

1. ↑ Green Papers, "The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation 2020," accessed January 9, 2020
2. ↑ The Democratic National Committee is calculating a majority as 50% plus one delegate.
3. ↑ Twitter, "Josh Putnam," February 3, 2020
4. ↑ Politico, "Kemp poised to spurn Trump on Georgia Senate pick," December 2, 2019
5. ↑ The New York Times, "How to Win the Democratic Nomination, and Why It Could Get Complicated," February 22, 2020
6. ↑ Council on Foreign Relations, "The Role of Delegates in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process," February 9, 2016
7. ↑ Green Papers, "The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation," accessed April 24, 2019
8. ↑ Vote Citrus, "Sample Ballot," accessed April 19, 2019
9. ↑ Columbia County, "Sample Primary Ballot," accessed April 19, 2019
10. ↑ If no candidate crosses the 15 percent threshold, it is lowered to half the percentage received by the frontrunner.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Democratic National Committee, "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention," accessed April 17, 2019
12. ↑ Green Papers, "Democratic Delegate Allocation Math," accessed April 24, 2019
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
15. ↑ Politico, "DNC 'unity' panel recommends huge cut in superdelegates," December 9, 2017
16. ↑ NPR, "DNC Group Calls For Drastic Cut In 'Superdelegates' As Part Of Nomination Process," December 9, 2017
17. ↑ Pew Research Center, "Who are the Democratic superdelegates?" May 5, 2016
18. ↑ Politico, "Democrats strip superdelegates of power in picking presidential nominee," August 25, 2018
19. ↑ Democratic National Committee, "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention," accessed March 31, 2020
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 The Guardian, "States delaying primaries past 9 June may face delegate penalty, warns DNC memo," March 17, 2020
21. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "How Could All Those Primary Postponements Change The Delegate Math?" April 10, 2020
22. ↑ The Green Papers, "Presidential Primaries 2020 Republican Delegate Allocation," accessed October 23, 2019