The job of a delegate is to voice the opinion of the people he or she represents. In this way, the American people's voices are supposed to be heard and count for something. However, with the addition of super delegates in the '80s, this system has proven to be flawed, as the power of the people has been taken away and handed over to the power of the nation’s one percent. No longer is our country built on democracy; it is built on the willpower of those on top of the oligarchy.

July 25th and 26th are the dates set for the 2016 Democratic National Convention to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The DNC is the gathering at which delegates of the United States Democratic Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States, as well as the Vice President, in the 2016 election. In order for the two front running candidates, Hillary Clinton of New York and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, to be voted the nominee, they must win a majority vote from the democratic delegates. With an expected 4,765 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, a candidate needs to win a majority of 2,383 delegate votes to gain the presidential nomination.

“Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their states at their party conventions prior to a presidential election.” (Washington Post)

In theory, whichever candidate the people of the United States vote for is supposed to be represented by the delegates at the DNC. The delegates' job is to simply be the voice of a nation, voting for whom we want to run our country, not for what works best on the politicians' agendas.

Each delegate's vote counts as one whole vote to represent their state, and if a Democratic candidate receives at least 15 percent of the votes in a given primary or caucus, they are entitled to a proportional number of delegates from that state.

“When John Edwards dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in January 2008, some speculated he might use the delegates he won in early primaries and caucuses to become a power broker of sorts at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008.” (Washington Post)

The percentage of votes that a Democratic candidate earns from each state determines the number of pledged delegate votes he or she will have at the DNC.

This system of voting would seem simple enough. We, the people, vote for the candidate of our liking, and elected representatives of our states take this majority vote to the Convention for our voices to be heard. It would be a fair system of voting, and one of true democracy's if it weren't for the notorious “Super Delegate” votes.

A super delegate is an elected party official who is unbound to any candidate vote, and therefore is free to support any candidate of his or her personal liking for presidential nomination. These super delegates are free to switch support for any candidate until they vote at the DNC.

“Un-pledged delegates exist really to make sure that party leaders and elected officials don’t have to be in a position where they are running against grassroots activists.” (CNN)

The CNN reporter openly admits that the purpose of the super delegates is to, in other words, keep the power of vote within the hands of the small group of elected officials and keep the power of vote out of the hands of the general public. This is to say that Washington has an agenda of its own. How can this be democracy?

An example of this sway of power from the hands of the people to the hands of the elected few can be seen in this year's election between leading democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. As of April 2016, the total numbers of delegate votes from states excluding the super delegates pledged votes is 1,701 to 1,411 favoring Clinton. Take note that although Clinton is winning, she is ahead by a slim margin of less than 300 delegate votes. Now, when one includes the votes of super delegates to this mix, something miraculous happens. Clinton’s votes rise significantly to 2,223 delegates, while Sanders’ votes rise to only 1,450 delegates, which are minuscule numbers compared to Clinton's .

For many, it would seem that the votes of the people are being completely wiped out by the power of the super delegate. What is the point of even voting if 20 percent of delegates at the convention are unaffiliated and are allowed to vote without any regard to what the majority of people want?

By allowing super delegates to exist, it allows candidates who are not the overall favorite to become the elected candidate. This is the corruptness of politics at its finest. The Clinton family has been in politics for generations. The family structure is not of an ordinary type. At its epicenter, the family revolves around looking good and making friends with powerful people. This is what our country's politics have come to. No longer do the voices of the people matter, as the very people we have trusted with the power bestowed upon them have turned against us.

The news is no longer our friend either. Political power has worked its way into our everyday lifestyle, and the people at the top want nothing more than to keep the rest of the country in the dark. Our political leaders don't want the country to know what is going on; they would rather us believe we have a say and be left in the dark than to know what the truth is. It's time for the American people to have a reality check and realize that the government doesn't listen to voice of its people anymore, as they don't need to hear our voices to run a country. All the American government needs of its people is citizens who follow along, blindly putting trust in the system. However, our system is broken and this dream of democracy is no longer reality.

The government fears the uprising of grass roots organizations because they know this will be the end of their political system. Older generations often talk poorly of our “millennial generation,” stating that we are lazy and work for nothing. The truth is that we aren't lazy; we just have learned to question what our leaders are saying. The old American way of life of shoot first, ask questions later has proven to be a failure. We need leaders, not politicians, who are straightforward and open about what they envision for our country. On top of transparency, we need a leader who can actually follow through with these envisions of the future.

Democracy is about equal vote. Every American should have a say as to who they want to be President. This is arguably the most important position on the planet, as the President of the United States has huge political pull around the world. Therefore, the voting of president is the most important obligation for an American citizen to uphold. However, with the power of super delegate parties influencing the outcome of our candidates, the vote of the people is squashed out.

This country should no longer be known for its so-called democracy. The democracy that this country was founded on, the Constitution written by the people and for the people, has not been upheld. Our country has lost the magic of what America used to be. America is no longer home of the brave and land of the free; it is the home of the liars and land of the cheats. How can one consider themselves free in this country when the voices of the people are not heard? Our political leaders speak with tangled words, sending mixed messages as to how they plan to lead. What is so horribly wrong with being straightforward with the people of this country? Are we not competent enough to handle the truth of where our country is headed?

Republican candidate Donald Trump has a slogan which reads, “Let's make America great again." I agree, America has lost its spark. We are no longer the best of the best. In a series of statistics found online, the U.S. ranks 14th in education, 24th in literacy, 11th in fourth grade math, sixth in fourth grade reading, 23rd in science test scores and 26th in employment growth rate.

Instead of building walls to keep immigrants out, and fighting a war on drugs that can't be won, let's focus on the growth of our country from the inside out. We need more effort towards educating our younger generations, and teaching kids about democracy and what it means to work together. We need to spend less time overseas fighting everyone else’s battles, and focus on growing the minds of our youth, leading by example to bring peace to our one shared Earth.

The government needs to listen to its people, because without its country's support, they are powerless. We are a country of diversification, but we are not separate. It's time for everyone to come together and put an end to the super delegate age. Giving just one super delegate the opportunity to vote is like stealing the voice of ten thousand Americans.

“No matter which candidate you choose to support in the current presidential election, you should recognize that super delegates have no place in any democratic nominating system. They represent a giant step backward in the march towards genuine democracy.” (osu.edu)

To conclude, every vote these super powers put in represents ten thousand people whose votes don't count. This country was founded by the people and for the people; if democracy is what we want, then democracy is what we deserve. Super delegates have been determining the outcome of our elections for over thirty years, and this is a betrayal to the American people. Super delegates are wrong, and must be eliminated if the people of this nation truly desire to have their opinions and voice heard.