diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index b2920585..f1f330e3 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Changes in current version:
  o Removed obsoleted recalc code
  o pull setters/getters out of RPC structures into a base class to which we just need to store a pointer; this reduces the memory footprint of these structures.
  o fix a bug with event_rpcgen for integers
+ o move EV_PERSIST handling out of the event backends
 
 
 Changes in 1.4.0-beta:
diff --git a/epoll.c b/epoll.c
index de89681f..c3ab6a46 100644
--- a/epoll.c
+++ b/epoll.c
@@ -228,12 +228,6 @@ epoll_dispatch(struct event_base *base, void *arg, struct timeval *tv)
 		if (!(evread||evwrite))
 			continue;
 
-		if (evread != NULL && !(evread->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-			event_del(evread);
-		if (evwrite != NULL && evwrite != evread &&
-			!(evwrite->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-			event_del(evwrite);
-
 		if (evread != NULL)
 			event_active(evread, EV_READ, 1);
 		if (evwrite != NULL)
diff --git a/event.c b/event.c
index 0c6504fa..dfad9fb6 100644
--- a/event.c
+++ b/event.c
@@ -336,9 +336,6 @@ event_process_active(struct event_base *base)
 	int i;
 	short ncalls;
 
-	if (!base->event_count_active)
-		return;
-
 	for (i = 0; i < base->nactivequeues; ++i) {
 		if (TAILQ_FIRST(base->activequeues[i]) != NULL) {
 			activeq = base->activequeues[i];
@@ -349,7 +346,10 @@ event_process_active(struct event_base *base)
 	assert(activeq != NULL);
 
 	for (ev = TAILQ_FIRST(activeq); ev; ev = TAILQ_FIRST(activeq)) {
-		event_queue_remove(base, ev, EVLIST_ACTIVE);
+		if (ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST)
+			event_queue_remove(base, ev, EVLIST_ACTIVE);
+		else
+			event_del(ev);
 		
 		/* Allows deletes to work */
 		ncalls = ev->ev_ncalls;
@@ -486,7 +486,6 @@ event_base_loop(struct event_base *base, int flags)
 
 		res = evsel->dispatch(base, evbase, tv_p);
 
-
 		if (res == -1)
 			return (-1);
 
diff --git a/evport.c b/evport.c
index 6a604790..f74c9dcc 100644
--- a/evport.c
+++ b/evport.c
@@ -372,21 +372,16 @@ evport_dispatch(struct event_base *base, void *arg, struct timeval *tv)
 		fdi = &(epdp->ed_fds[fd]);
 
 		/*
-		 * We now check for each of the possible events (READ or WRITE).
-		 * If the event is not persistent, then we delete it. Then, we
-		 * activate the event (which will cause its callback to be
-		 * executed).
+		 * We now check for each of the possible events (READ
+		 * or WRITE).  Then, we activate the event (which will
+		 * cause its callback to be executed).
 		 */
 
 		if ((res & EV_READ) && ((ev = fdi->fdi_revt) != NULL)) {
-			if (!(ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-				event_del(ev);
 			event_active(ev, res, 1);
 		}
 
 		if ((res & EV_WRITE) && ((ev = fdi->fdi_wevt) != NULL)) {
-			if (!(ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-				event_del(ev);
 			event_active(ev, res, 1);
 		}
 	} /* end of all events gotten */
diff --git a/kqueue.c b/kqueue.c
index edb882b8..e4ccff1d 100644
--- a/kqueue.c
+++ b/kqueue.c
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ kq_dispatch(struct event_base *base, void *arg, struct timeval *tv)
 			continue;
 
 		if (!(ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-			event_del(ev);
+			ev->ev_flags &= ~EVLIST_X_KQINKERNEL;
 
 		event_active(ev, which,
 		    ev->ev_events & EV_SIGNAL ? events[i].data : 1);
diff --git a/poll.c b/poll.c
index 71b8ee12..15b2a7b9 100644
--- a/poll.c
+++ b/poll.c
@@ -185,13 +185,9 @@ poll_dispatch(struct event_base *base, void *arg, struct timeval *tv)
 			continue;
 
 		if (r_ev && (res & r_ev->ev_events)) {
-			if (!(r_ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-				event_del(r_ev);
 			event_active(r_ev, res & r_ev->ev_events, 1);
 		}
 		if (w_ev && w_ev != r_ev && (res & w_ev->ev_events)) {
-			if (!(w_ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-				event_del(w_ev);
 			event_active(w_ev, res & w_ev->ev_events, 1);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/select.c b/select.c
index 25b9acf3..1e37ac09 100644
--- a/select.c
+++ b/select.c
@@ -178,13 +178,9 @@ select_dispatch(struct event_base *base, void *arg, struct timeval *tv)
 			res |= EV_WRITE;
 		}
 		if (r_ev && (res & r_ev->ev_events)) {
-			if (!(r_ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-				event_del(r_ev);
 			event_active(r_ev, res & r_ev->ev_events, 1);
 		}
 		if (w_ev && w_ev != r_ev && (res & w_ev->ev_events)) {
-			if (!(w_ev->ev_events & EV_PERSIST))
-				event_del(w_ev);
 			event_active(w_ev, res & w_ev->ev_events, 1);
 		}
 	}