Superdelegates are elected by the party and are not bound to vote according to election results in their states. They are officially designated as "unpledged party leaders and elected official delegates", and will constitute about one-fifth (796) of the total number of delegates (4,090) to the Democratic National Convention in August. Superdelegates are comprised of members of Congress, governors, former and current party officials and officeholders, as well as grassroots activists of the Democratic Party.

The debate over superdelegates centers on the fact that they are not democratically elected, yet they are able to control a substantial number of votes needed to decide a nominee. They are viewed as party elites who maintain control of the nomination process with the ability to vote irrespective of the candidate chosen by voters.

So, how does it work? Superdelegates have free reign to choose any candidate in their party - and can change their decision - for the Democratic nomination. Ordinary delegates, however, are committed to a candidate based on voter results from their state. The 2-to-1 superdelegate lead Clinton once held over Obama is now closing significantly. Of the nearly 300 superdelegates who have already committed to a candidate, only 56 superdelegates separate the two senators, with 237 pledged to Clinton and 181 for Obama, according to CNN.

CNN reports that former President Bill Clinton (a superdelegate himself) and members of the Obama campaign have been working aggressively for months to court the superdelegates, drawing on old loyalties in order to gain support for their respective candidate. Current unpledged superdelegates include former Democratic presidential candidates such as New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, who are becoming increasingly sought after by the Democratic candidates for their endorsements.

In the event that Clinton and Obama arrive in Denver for the party’s nominating convention with roughly equal numbers of pledged delegates, superdelegates could make the difference in which candidate becomes the party’s nominee. Speculation is on the rise about what would happen if Obama were to receive a greater number of votes, but Clinton was able to secure support from the majority of the superdelegates. The question then would be how representative would such a vote be of the will of Democratic voters as a whole?

Many superdelegates themselves contend that the Democratic Party nomination process must remain democratic, and that voters themselves should decide between Clinton and Obama. Donna Brazile, CNN political analyst and manager to former vice president Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000, is one such superdelegate opposed to this system.

"If 795 of my colleagues decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party," Brazile said. "I feel very strongly about this."

Safiya Ghori is the Government Relations Director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington D.C.