Question

Superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention: a. consist of minority groups previously not represented. b. help restore an element of peer review to the process. c. were established by the McGovern Fraser Commission. d. are observers only, without a formal vote.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is b.

Explanation:

Following the defeat of Hubert Humphrey, the Democratic candidate to the 1968 presidential election, the McGovern-Fraser Commission established that in subsequent elections, the presidential candidate would be chosen by delegates chosen by popular vote, instead of being handpicked by regional party leaders. However, after defeats in the 1972 and 1980 presidential elections, this system was reevaluated. The Hunt Commission proposed the creation of "superdelegates". These superdelegates, unlike pledged delegates elected during state primaries, would be free to vote for whoever they wanted to. The idea behind superdelegates was to combine the best of both worlds: have a presidential candidate chosen both by popular vote and by the superdelegates. Superdelegates are mostly veteran party members and officials who add an element of peer review to primaries, as it is expected that because of their experience they will be able to assess and have an informed opinion on who they deem to be the best presidential candidate. Superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention usually comprise 20% of all delegates.