This month’s Republican and Democratic National Conventions are big parties.
But they’re expensive parties for the participants.
Charles Niswander is a Bernie Sanders delegate. He’s looking forward to being in Philadelphia for the DNC.
But there’s a cost: $3,000 to $4,000 in travel and hotel.
“There is a part of me that feels like they would rather keep poor, working people out and not have their voices heard as much,” says Niswander.
Niswander and his girlfriend, who’s also a Sanders delegate, are saving some money by staying at a hotel in New Jersey, far away from the official hotel for the Michigan delegation.
Brandon Dillon is Michigan’s Democratic Party chairman. He admits the cost is a problem, "Especially for younger folks and people who don’t have the highest of income." He says the party has tried to raise money to help offset some of those costs.
Some Republican and Democratic delegates have turned to online fundraisers to pay for their convention trips.
