Q: What is the difference between a delegate and a superdelegate, and do both parties have them?
—Lloyd Partain, Lawrenceville
A: The Democratic Party’s superdelegates are elected officials, including former and past presidents and vice presidents, current congressmen and governors, and prominent Democratic National Committee members.
Of the 4,763 Democratic delegates this year, 712 are superdelegates (14.9 percent).
Delegates are chosen during a state’s primary or caucus, but a superdelegate isn’t attached to a candidate, which means they can vote for the candidate of their choice at the Democratic National Convention.
A New York Times’ delegate chart shows 457 superdelegates committed to Hillary Clinton and 22 pledged to Bernie Sanders through March 2.
The Republican Party doesn’t have superdelegates, but each state can have three Republican National Convention delegates — the state chairman and two Republican National Committee members – in addition to its delegates at the Republican National Convention.
They, however, are “bound in the same manner as the state’s at-large delegates,” GOP.com states.
Q: What is the world’s most venomous snake?
—Andy Sims, Douglasville
A: The venom of inland taipan, which is native to Australia, is considered "extremely potent and is rated as the most toxic of all snake venoms," the Australia Museum's website states.
The inland taipan also is known as the fierce snake, but it’s considered shy.
Britannica.com states that the inland taipan “delivers a veritable witch’s brew of toxins,” which is quickly absorbed with the assistance of a “spreading factor,” the museum’s website (australianmuseum.net.au) states.
The venom can cause a variety of symptoms, including kidney failure, muscle weakness and respiratory failure, according to toxinology.com.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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