Some Colorado delegates unhappy with vote plan
DENVER – Some Barack Obama supporters complained today that Colorado Democratic leaders may be prolonging a party rift because Hillary Clinton backers won’t be allowed to switch their votes to Obama in a show of unity.Colorado delegates cast their ballots this morning, and the tally was to be reported tonight on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.The total wasn’t released because not all the delegates were present.State party chairwoman Pat Waak said the morning vote would be the only one the delegation takes, meaning there will be no chance for Clinton supporters to change their vote to Obama.”This is the only vote,” she said, explaining it would be disruptive to try to take a second poll on the convention floor among the 70 delegates.That upset Shawn Coleman, an Obama delegate from Boulder, who wanted a second round to allow the delegates to show full support for Obama.”I understand that the Clinton delegates want to serve their constituents. That is what I’m doing, but I don’t want this to be a hollow victory for Obama,” he said.Colorado congressman John Salazar said he was surprised by the decision and called it unusual, but he said he would support it.”I think it’s part of the healing process. I think after tonight’s vote, we’re going to be a united party and support Obama. A divided party will never win,” he said.State Rep. Terrance Carroll of Denver said he never expected a second vote.”We know there are delegates loyal to Clinton. It’s OK. It’s part of the process,” he said.It wasn’t immediately clear whether other states were allowing only one ballot within their delegations.Clinton backers in Colorado had their own concerns, worried that there would be no state-by-state roll call to record the New York senator’s strong showing, or that Clinton would stop the balloting and ask for a unanimous vote for Obama before the roll call was recorded.”If we don’t have an official roll call vote state-by-state, it is going to reopen a wound,” said Sonja Jaquez Lewis, a Clinton delegate from Boulder County.Lewis said if Clinton is denied a roll call, she and others may walk out. But she said she would do whatever Clinton asks her delegates to do.





