Super Tuesday shakes up contest for Democratic Presidential Nomination

On Tuesday, March 3, millions of people in 14 states voted for the candidate they want to represent the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential election. Known as Super Tuesday, this day is pivotal for Presidential hopefuls, narrowing down who will become the party’s nominee.

“Super Tuesday plays a big part in deciding what my future will be like. It determines possible future Presidents, and thus which policies will make it to the office,” said Egan Lai, 16, from San Mateo, Calif.

This year, voters primarily focused on Democratic Presidential candidates, as there is no significant competition to President Donald Trump’s nomination by the Republican Party.

In order to secure their party’s nomination, Democratic candidates must win 1,191 delegates and Republican candidates must win 1,237 delegates. Currently, President Trump has more than 800 confirmed delegates.

Narrowing the race

Super Tuesday led to big changes for the Democratic candidates. Not polling as well as they had hoped, many candidates dropped out. Winning only 58 delegates, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg quit the race and endorsed Joe Biden.

Additionally, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, dropped the race, getting only 65 delegates. Leading up to Super Tuesday, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped the race, endorsing Biden to maximize his chances of winning. 

Now, only three Democratic candidates remain. Given Super Tuesday’s importance to the election, it is critical for people to cast an educated vote. 

“The best way to learn about a candidate these days is to actually go analyze their past tweets and statements. Look at their voting history,” said Arthur Ratchford, a voter in Menlo Park, Calif.

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden each have more than 500 delegates, making them strong competitors for the Democratic nomination, according to the New York Times. Tulsi Gabbard has two delegates from American Samoa, meaning she qualifies for the next Democratic Debate. California and Texas had the most delegates up for grabs. Biden won Texas, while Sanders won California, increasing both of their delegate counts significantly. 

“Ultimately, I want a president who recognizes how much trouble we are in with the climate, foreign policy, and healthcare and is going to work to fix it,” said Vivek Veluvali, a 17-year-old from Menlo Park, Calif.

Local change

Alongside voting for a Democratic nominee, people also voted for their local government officials and propositions.

Proposition 13 focused on whether the state government should authorize $15 billion in bonds for schools and colleges. According to the ballot description, the funds would be allocated to give $9 billion to K-12 schools, $2 billion to community colleges, and $4 billion to universities. This proposition failed, with ABC reporting that 57% of people voted against the measure.

Super Tuesday allowed people to take a stand for their beliefs.

“If you want your community to be a better place, you have to participate and vote,” Veluvali said.