Students head to Capitol to protest Super Delegates

MUSKEGON - A group of high school students have never voted in a presidential election, yet they are already frustrated with the democratic process.

"This election in the end isn't going to be decided by you and me," said Oakridge High School Junior Corey Swanson.

Swanson and classmate Dani Patton say voters, especially young voters, are disenfranchised by Super Delegates within the Democratic Party. The fight for delegates between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is close so the tie breaker could come by way of Super Delegates.

"That's what they spend the majority of their time doing calling Super Delegates trying to woo them over to their side," said Swanson.

One Super Delegate vote equals 10,000 common votes. The delegates are members of the Democratic Party and they are free to support the candidate of their liking. Swanson says that takes the election away from the people who cast ballots in primaries and participated in caucuses.

"They buffer the system against us. That makes you stand back and say wait a minute I'm starting to see that maybe I don't have as much power as they're saying I do."

Wanting to empower themselves the students formed a club, "The Super Duper Club? which was a big argument over the name," joked teacher Bob Wood.

Wood says he merely supervises the students who are taking their mission all the way to Lansing, Thursday. They will be speaking out against Super Delegates to lawmakers and anyone who will listen. They've collected hundreds of signatures and circulated flyers.

"Does that surprise you that there was such a level of interest? No! From teenagers? No! Not at all, not at all. I'm optimistic about this generation."

And the students are confident. "I think if we get up there people will listen to us because we are young and we're the future and they have to listen to us." said Patton.