A Democratic National Committee (DNC) panel voted Wednesday to move forward with a plan to limit the power of superdelegates in picking future presidential nominees.
The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee approved a measure to bar superdelegates from voting on the first presidential nomination ballot in a contested convention, according to Politico.
The move is seen as a victory for supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who amplified calls for superdelegate reform after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination for president in the 2016 election.
Many Sanders backers have maintained that without superdelegates, he would have secured the nomination. Clinton won 544.5 superdelegates in the 2016 primary, compared to Sanders’s 44.5.
Sanders praised the DNC in a statement, calling it a “major step forward.”
“This decision will ensure that delegates elected by voters in primaries and caucuses will have the primary role in selecting the Democratic Party’s nominee at the 2020 convention,” Sanders said.”This is a major step forward in making the Democratic Party more open and transparent, and I applaud their action.”
Wednesday’s vote sets the DNC up for a full vote on the measure at the committee meeting next month.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez said on a conference call that the decision would help “rebuild the trust” in the committee from supporters who “feel alienated” from the party, according to Politico.
“No candidate will be able to have an accumulated lead, whether it’s real or perceived, before a ballot has been cast,” Perez said.
–Updated at 5:20 p.m.