This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This year voters have two exceptional Democratic candidates in Secretary Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Both bring vision, experience, and substance to this election, and they have energized voters from every walk of life. At a time when harsh attacks and vitriolic tone have defined much of the Republican campaign, Democrats have been able to show citizens that we are the party committed to lifting up all Americans.
Nevertheless, there is much confusion and consternation among Democrats over the complex and poorly understood national delegate selection process. The process involves two different sets of delegates — first, the "pledged" delegates that are allocated proportionally in each state based on the results of the presidential primary or caucus. Utah has 33 delegates who will be pledged, based on the results of the March 22 presidential caucus, to Sanders and Clinton.
Second, there are "superdelegates" that are not pledged to a specific candidate; they do not cast their vote based on their state's caucus or primary results. A superdelegate's vote is based on his or her own analysis of the candidates and the party's prospect to win the election. The vote of a superdelegate does not count more than the vote of a pledged delegate.
On March 30, the State Democratic Party announced the final results of the statewide presidential caucus vote. The winner, Sanders, received 77.2 percent of the votes. Because a pledged delegate cannot be divided between two candidates and must be allocated by congressional districts, the State Democratic Party rounded the number of pledged delegates for Sanders up to 27. So with two superdelegates supporting him, Senator Sanders received 29 total delegates, representing 78.4 percent of Utah's 37 total delegates. Clinton received eight delegates, comprised of six pledged delegates and two superdelegates.
My position as a superdelegate is based on my election as Utah's Democratic National Committeewoman by state delegates, who were selected in their 2012 neighborhood precinct caucus meetings. This position is unrelated to my service in the Utah Legislature. The delegates who elected me to that position understood that one of my responsibilities as National Committeewoman is to use my best judgment to help select the Democratic Party's nominee for president. It is in that role that I have committed to cast my vote for Clinton.
I have not taken lightly my responsibility to be knowledgeable of the candidates and their policies. I have personally met with both candidates. This has not been an easy decision. Even within my own family, our allegiances are divided.
I am impressed with Sanders' ability to motivate a large number of new voters to participate in the political process. I agree with many of the positions he advocates. In Clinton I see someone who has devoted her entire life to the core principles of our party and to improving the lives of all Americans. She has decades of experience on the critical issues facing our country — from foreign policy and healthcare to immigration reform and the economy. As with all candidates, Clinton is not perfect. But I trust her ability to work constructively with leaders on both sides of the aisle and in other countries to move our nation forward.
My support of Clinton is shared by many others respected in our community, including Mayors Ben McAdams and Jackie Biskupski. Clinton is also supported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Gov. Peter Shumlin, both superdelegates in Sanders home state of Vermont, where over 86 percent of the voters supported Sanders in their primary.
Whoever emerges as the Democratic candidate for president will be a better candidate and a better representative of Democratic values as a result of a worthy Democratic challenger. That candidate will have my unequivocal support and I will enthusiastically work to elect that individual in November.
For those who dislike the superdelegate construct, I urge you to get involved, stay involved and fight for change from within the party. There is too much at stake for Democrats to fail to come together in a common purpose to elect either of our qualified Democratic candidates come November.
Rep. Patrice Arent has served as Utah's Democratic National Committeewoman for the past eight years. Last year she announced she will not seek a third term as committeewoman so she can devote more time to her legislative and community work.