MARCH 3, 2020: A total of 1,344 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention ([link removed]) will be awarded based upon today’s voting in the presidential primaries ([link removed]) .[1] ([link removed])
Prior to today, votes have been cast only in four smaller states on separate days in February. Today’s contests are on a much larger scale including California ([link removed]) , Texas ([link removed]) , and a dozen other states (plus American Samoa). When the voting is finished tonight, states holding roughly 40% of the U.S. population will have voted and 38% of all Democratic pledged delegates will have been selected.[1] ([link removed])
To win the Democratic nomination on the first ballot, a candidate must win a majority of the pledged delegates—a total of 1,991 delegates. If no candidate wins a majority, then 771 _superdelegates_ will vote starting on the second ballot. These delegates consist of party leaders and elected officials. Superdelegates are not formally pledged to any candidate and their participation would mean a brokered convention ([link removed]) .[2] ([link removed]) The last time that happened was in 1952.[3] ([link removed])
Finally, while today is hailed by political junkies as Super Tuesday, it’s important to remember that it is really the culmination of an ongoing process. Ten states began their voting prior to the Nevada caucuses ([link removed]) and three more began voting before the South Carolina primary ([link removed]) .[4] ([link removed])
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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day ([link removed]) explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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_Scott Rasmussen is an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. He is a senior fellow for the study of self-governance at the King’s College in New York. His most recent book, ** Politics Has Failed: America Will Not ([link removed])
** , ([link removed])
was published by the Sutherland Institute in August 2018._
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