Reno-area political activist David Baker has put in lots of volunteer time for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Now he’s worried that the Democratic party’s nominee may be decided by a process that he doesn’t feel is entirely democratic.

With a tight race for a Democratic presidential candidate in the works, the possibility that neither Obama nor Sen. Hillary Clinton will have won the 2,025 national delegates needed to become the party nominee and some people are wondering just how the candidate will be determined.

Elected state delegates are required to vote for the candidate they are committed to on the first vote. But along with the elected delegates, each state sends super delegates to the national convention. Nearly 800 super delegates are predetermined by state and national party rules. These super delegates are not committed to a certain candidate, and can change allegiance on the first vote.

Therefore, if neither Clinton or Obama have the required delegates to win them the nomination, super delegate votes become critical.

“Most of the Obama camp feel that the (national) convention should be as democratic as possible,” Baker said. “We don’t need party leaders and elected officials to determine who the nominee is to the convention. The people should determine that.”

Nevada will send 26 delegates — 25 of which are pledged to a candidate — to the national convention in Denver this summer. These 26 will be elected at a state convention held May 17 and 18 in Reno.

The delegates who go to the state convention will be chosen at the county level, including at the Washoe County Democratic Party convention on Saturday. Delegates at the county levels were elected at the caucuses held on Jan. 19.

The eight Democratic super delegates from Nevada include the state's party chair and first vice chair (Sam Lieberman and Teresa Benitez-Thompson), federally elected officials (Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley), the state attorney general (Catherine Cotez-Masto), state party committee people who are elected by delegates to state party meetings (Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, State Senator Steven Horsford and former Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson-Gates).

Four of these delegates are currently unpledged. Titus and Berkley are supporting Clinton and Horsford and Benitez-Thompson are supporting Obama.

There is heated controversy taking place by many Democrats over the role of the super delegates.

“This is a system that has been in place for a long time,” said former Democratic Party State Chairwoman Jill Derby.

After the 1968 Democratic National Convention, a commission was formed to change party rules so that “party insiders” did not dominate conventions. The result was a 80/20 split, Derby said.

“Eighty percent are delegates, 20 percent party leaders.… It was an effort to give party leadership a voice in the nomination.”

Derby doesn’t feel super delegates necessarily have more clout than others.

“They have one vote, just as others do,” she said.

With Derby stepping down as state party chair this week in order to run for Congress, Lieberman has become chair and Reno resident Benitez-Thompson is now first vice chair.

She said there is a place for super delegates in the nominating process.

“Super delegates are people in the know,” Benitez-Thompson said. “They know the political landscape. They are not committed to the caucus winner. … It is a good process for people in the political know.”

But many like Baker are worried about what they call a “brokered” or “insider” convention, where deals will be made by party insiders and delegates to select a candidate.

“We don’t know what unofficial discussions are going on; we don’t know what is being said,” said Baker.

Derby doesn’t think there is much reason to worry.

“Most of the super delegates are elected. People like that are always sensitive to their constituents," she said. “I can’t imagine the super delegates doing anything but voting for the candidate that will beat John McCain."

Titus said that she has been supporting Clinton from the beginning.

“The nice thing about voting my conscience is that I’m voting the way Nevada voted,” Titus said.

Local and national Obama and Clinton campaigns are both gearing up to put some pressure on unpledged super delegates. An e-mail from Obama's campaign says, “To be safe, we are working to attract the support of super delegates.”

She said she is hoping that by the convention, a nominee will be clear.

“Not only will that be divisive for the party … I worry that if we wait until the convention to pick (a nominee) … that’s not good for the Democratic Party overall,” Titus said.

She is concerned that while the Democrats are busy trying to sort out who their nominee is, the Republicans will have their nominee picked and a campaign launched.

Chuck Fulkerson, a local Clinton supporter, said he trusts the system, and is not worried about the role of the super delegates. But he agrees with Titus.

“I think it’s great it’s going to be a contested election,” he said. But, the drawback is “that the Democrat who gets the nod won’t have as much time to get up a (national presidential) campaign as McCain has had.”

Travis Brock, executive director of the Nevada State Democratic Party, agreed that the close race has helped the Democrats.

“In the long run, it’s good for the party,” he said. “It’s engaging record numbers of people across the nation. (It’s given the party) more momentum.… More people are voting.”

Amy Weber-Curtis, executive director of the Washoe County Democratic Party, does feel that there are legitimate concerns about the super delegate system.

Super delegates are selected by “virtue of being who they are,” she said. “I don’t think anyone should have undue influence. One person one vote is how this country should operate.”

According to Washoe County Party chairperson Chris Wicker, the “anger is way premature,” as there is still a long way to go before the convention.

"(They are not) the shadowy insider that is being portrayed,” he said. “Super delegates are people that answer to the public anyway, or who have been elected.”

But, Wicker agrees with Derby that super delegates need to try to represent their constituents.

“It would be damaging if the super delegates over-ride decisions made by people in various caucuses and primaries.… I would hate to see that happen,” he said.

Wicker said he doesn’t like Benitez-Thompson being the only super delegate from the north. He said we might need to look at the way super delegates are selected to see if we could “bring in more geographic diversity.”

“People need to talk about changing the rules if they don’t like them,” he said.

Benitez-Thompson agreed with Wicker.

“I always wished that northern Nevada had more say in the political process,” she said.

Derby agreed with Wicker and Titus that people may be more fearful than necessary, but also recognizes that after the convention, the process might need to be addressed.

“It would be appropriate to revisit it,” Derby said. “That could be a great dialogue.”