It's a popular stance this election year to be disenchanted with the concept of superdelegates. Voters turned out for presidential primaries and caucuses in record numbers. It's been a particularly gripping year for Democrats, whose candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running a very close race in capturing delegate votes.

Once the people have spoken — and now that every delegate is critical — it seems undemocratic that a group of 800 superdelegate party leaders could ignore the majority vote and go their own way.

That concern is a rational one, revealing the inequalities built into our presidential primary system.

It suggests the need to revolutionize that system, with an abbreviated calendar of regional primaries that comes closer to the "one person, one vote" democratic ideal.

But that's in the future. The current system, which will take us to the Democratic convention this August, gives party leaders more discretion in making their choice. And Hawai'i's nine superdelegates ought to play by those rules.

Yes, the votes went overwhelmingly to Obama, giving him 14 pledged delegates to Clinton's nine. But caucus results alone shouldn't mandate that superdelegate votes be apportioned the same way.

Swamped by the unexpected voter turnout, the Hawai'i caucus had organizational lapses, with reports of printed ballots running out early, replacements being improvised on sheets of paper. Partisans for both candidates have complained about irregularities, but the party opted against a recount.

Democrats created superdelegates more than 20 years ago to give elected leaders and party officials leeway to break deadlocks. They also are expected to use their experience and commitment to party objectives to help choose the nominee with the best chance of winning.

By the 2012 presidential contest, this country should move toward a method of candidate selection that's more consistent from state to state, such as regional primaries.

But for this election, the parties alloted a set number of delegates empowered to vote their conscience.

Hawai'i's superdelegates should do exactly that.