Tight races add energy ahead of Oklahoma party conventions

Republican and Democratic party officials in Oklahoma both say they’re experiencing an infusion of new activists ahead of picking the delegates who will nominate each party’s candidates for president.

Democratic supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, who won Oklahoma by 10 points over Hillary Clinton, will look to elect one of their supporters into one of two “superdelegate” positions up for grabs Saturday at the Oklahoma Democratic Party’s State Convention at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Republican Party is holding congressional district meetings throughout April ahead of the GOP’s State Convention on May 14 at the First Baptist Church of Moore. That’s when that party’s delegates will be divvied up among U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, who won Oklahoma’s primary, New York billionaire Donald Trump, and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida.

Here’s a look at the delegate process in Oklahoma:

What are delegates?

Delegates are representatives of the state party who will attend each party’s national convention this summer. The Republican National Committee’s convention will be in Cleveland from July 18-21. Democrats will meet the following week in Philadelphia to select their party’s nominee.

The Oklahoma Democratic Party has 42 delegates to the national convention, 38 of whom are allocated to either Clinton or Sanders based on each candidate’s performance in the state and in each congressional district.

The Oklahoma Republican Party has 43 delegates to its national convention, 15 of which are elected at the district level.

Under Oklahoma law, all delegates to the national convention shall cast their votes on all ballots for the candidate to whom they are bound, until that person is no longer a candidate.

What are superdelegates?

The Democrats also have superdelegates, who can back whichever candidate they wish. Oklahoma has four of those — the chairman and vice-chairman of the party, the national committeeman, and the national committeewoman. Current Democratic Committeewoman Betty McElderry, a Clinton supporter, and Democratic Committeeman Jim Frasier, who has not publicly committed, both are expected to run for their posts again. But Sanders supporters are expected to put forth their own candidates Saturday as part of his campaign’s effort to secure votes from more superdelegates, who heavily favor Clinton nationally.

Republicans do not have superdelegates to their convention.