In 1984, Gary and his wife Lee Hart sat around their kitchen table dialing superdelegates, trying to win their votes. Today, the internet has made it possible for ordinary citizens to share information and organize from coast to coast.
As a result, the superdelegates are facing unprecedented scrutiny from Democratic voters and activists. MoveOn.org organized an on-line petition asking them to respect the will of the voters, and 400,000 people signed on. The San Francisco-based group Color Of Change has an e-mail campaign urging Congressional Black Caucus members to endorse according to how their districts voted.
More than 50 superdelegates who were previously undecided have declared for Obama over the past month, while Clinton's support has stagnated. Some, like Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, have abandoned Clinton for Obama.
Many superdelegates are politicians, and they pay attention to the citizens who elect them. Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory announced his support for Obama on Feb. 25 as a superdelegate from Ohio.
"[I] got lots of calls and e-mails, mostly telling me to support Obama," said Mallory. "I got three or four calls in support of Clinton, but it was very lopsided."
Take five minutes and use the tools on our website to call or e-mail an undecided superdelegate in your state.
If the superdelegates hold the key to the nomination, we the voters can take action to help determine the outcome.
(Erik Ose and Dana Lumsden are Democrats from North Carolina and two of the co-organizers of Voters for Obama.)
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