Choosing a Democratic nominee

Re “Don’t supersede voters,” editorial, Feb. 14

The issue of how the Democratic Party superdelegates should vote at their convention boils down to whether they should vote based on their own conscience or interests, or for the candidate with either the most elected pledged delegates or the largest number of actual votes, which may or may not be the same candidate. There’s also an issue of whether superdelegates should cast their convention vote based on the primary vote or delegate totals, or those of their respective states and districts. This approach is really an insipid intraparty variation of the undemocratic electoral college. Instead of empowering states, delegates or “electors” should be empowering voters and citizens.

Next election, we should have one national primary day in the spring and a direct election in November, with a runoff election for each if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. It is long past time for this unrepresentative insanity to end and for us to adopt a presidential selection process suitable for the 21st century, not the 19th.

Dan Wentzel

Santa Monica

Why is The Times asking superdelegates to hamstring themselves and accept what amounts to a rule change in the middle of the process? That’s tantamount to changing the rules of the Super Bowl at halftime. Every candidate and party official involved in this process agreed to a detailed set of guidelines.

If the rules require changing (I’m for that), Democrats and newspapers had every opportunity to contribute their opinions during the lengthy process of setting the nominating rules held two years prior. That opportunity comes around again in 2010.

Chuck Thies

Washington

The will and votes of some Americans have indeed been superseded. Bush vs. Gore was the best example, in which five Supreme Court justices superseded Democratic votes in Florida. In this Democratic primary race, if neither Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama can win the necessary 2,025 delegates, the rules say that the superdelegates will determine the nominee.

Some voters question whether the will and votes of those in Florida and Michigan should be counted. Some question whether the will of the voters is really represented in caucus states. This is a close race between two admirable and hardworking candidates, both with passionate supporters. Until the rules change, superdelegates will determine who will represent Democrats in November.

Libby Breen

Altadena