Many voters became acquainted with "superdelegates" for the first time in 2016 after Bernie Sanders would win certain contests -- like New Hampshire -- and yet the delegate count would show him leaving the state with just as many delegates. Superdelegates are unpledged delegates, comprised of party insiders, former party bosses and officials, elected representatives, and lobbyists, and in 2020, they could choose for voters the party's nominee.
In response to broad criticism, the DNC approved a rule in 2018that reduced the number of superdelegates and barred them from voting in the first round of the presidential nomination process in the Democratic National Convention. That means that superdelegates would only participate in the voting process if no candidate has majority support in that first round of voting.
Politico reported this week that
