Portal:Superdelegate Transparency Project/Help out/Chart cleanup and sourcing

Priority Tasks
Here are the top priority tasks for the project. If you complete a task, please come back to this table and mark it done. Please use the New Mexico table the model for table completion. You will find links at the bottom of the page that will help you find the correct data to enter.

'''If you complete any of these tasks, be sure to mark it complete in the master table below also. These tables are only to show the current work priority and not as master tracking.'''

Priority Tasks Needing more info. These are priority tasks which require more info than was available the last time they were worked. The availability of this data should be checked at least every two days and the date changed to reflect the most recent attempt to work. If the task is completed, simply note in this table and admin will archive the task.

Completed Tasks Archive (Thank You)

Chart Cleanup Checklist
The chart is prioritized, with the most important tasks listed from left-to-right at the top. If you complete a task for a state or find that it has already been completed, please mark it off so we know which ones are finished! Click the signature button above the editing window to let people know who you are and when you finished it (if you like).

In some cases where a task is mostly completed we have noted the items remaining to be done for full completiong. When you have completed one of these tasks, you may over-write these notes.

If you are working an item, please make an indication in the cell so we don't have duplicate edits occurring.

Find sources for the election returns and superdelegates
One of the basic rules of Congresspedia and its parent wiki, SourceWatch, is that all factual assertions need to be sourced. As such, we need to add references for the pledged (elected) delegate counts and the superdelegate endorsements. At the bottom of each state, district and territory page you will find a list of links under the heading 'External Resources' that will help you to find most of the data needed to fill out the table. You should check a page's talk section by clicking the "Discussion" tab, and check if anybody has recently updated a superdelegate's status.

There's two style of referencing, the beginner's method and the standard method. The standard method is nicer, but the beginner's method will suffice. If you're citing the same reference more than once, you'll save a lot of time by using the standard method and this trick.

See the Alabama page for an example of what a fully-sourced chart should look like. The "Pledged Clinton" column was done using the standard method and the "Pledged Obama" column was made using the beginner's method.

Election returns and delegate allotment
In the past, we relied on USA Today's election results page. However, we've lately noticed this information is not necessarily up-to-date, and we feel more reliable sources are available. The best source of information on election results will likely be Secretaries of State and/or a state's Board of Elections. In addition, in many states (such as New Mexico) political parties funded and organized caucuses and primaries. Try to find an "official" source of information for the returns, and use it.

Remember that most, but not all, of the Secretary of State offices certify the Congressional District-level results, but the delegate allotment is always handled by the state party.

Superdelegates
2008 Democratic Convention Watch has one of the most complete lists, which also links to the original sources, so the best place to start is probably that page.

Data Hierarchy
In some cases, superdelegates are officially listed on the roster as the 'DNC' type or 'Distinguished Party Member' type when they are also current members of Congress. One such example is Maxine Waters. In such cases, the superdelegate should be listed in a manner consistent with his or her elected office. This will require the removal of a row from their official type (DNC or Distinguished Party Member).

The Politico has a useful listing of the twenty Distinguished Party Leaders, which can be viewed here.

Solidify Lists
The data in the state/district/territory tables has come from several sources. As a result, some tables might not be complete or might have incorrect information. Specifically, we need to:
 * Fix vacant rows for types "DNC" and "Distinguished Party Leader." To fix you can either delete the row, add name or mark it vacant&mdash;whichever is appropriate. You can use the "External Resources" links at the bottom of the state page, which shows the names of the supers will help here. The data hierarchy rules for Distinguished Party Leaders (and perhaps DNC delegates) listed above also apply here. You can check the tables against this list.
 * Check the number of delegates for each congressional district, and also At Large and PLEOs. First preference for sourcing here is the state party site and second preference is The Green Papers.
 * Tally the superdelegates by adding "1" (and, for congressional districts, "+1") in the appropriate column for indicating superdelegate endorsements (see the Iowa page for an example).

Campaign Contributions
Recent reports have indicated that the candidates have given campaign contributions to some Superdelegates. Columns should be added to the tables to track this type of interaction. You can see the columns on the New Mexico page for an example.

Once the columns are there, you can identify contributions made by either campaign to superdelegates. Use Capital Eye as a source, and be sure to follow the referencing guidelines mentioned above.

Summarizing Data
There are rows on each table designated for totaling the number of delegates and superdelegates that are confirmed for each candidate. This data needs to be compiled based on the information located within the table. Summarizing data is putting whatever tallies are possible in the three rows at the bottom of the table, even if some superdelegates are undeclared. Again, use the New Mexico page as an example.