Primary Reforms

Amar Kakirde

Why?
Frontloading
Importance to NH and IA
Not representative
Larger states primaries mean nothing

Current attempts
Timing
Early primaries were given half of its delegates
Over time, this percentage is increased, to 120% in June
2012 Republican parties dont really follow this
Travel isnt necessarily reduced

The American Plan

California Plan
Graduated Random Presidential Primary System
Created by Thomas Gangale
Engineer and Political Scientist

Starts in small states

Steadily builds up to larger states
Only reform cited in Democratic Report of the Commission on Presidential
Nomination Timing and Scheduling (2005)

10 intervals
2 weeks each
Randomly selected states

American Plan Mechanics

2 week additions
1st week- 8 congressional districts/votes can be contested by random
territories or states
Next week, 16 electoral votes can be contested
Add eight

California could not vote until the 7th period

Texas, NY, Florida can vote in the 4th

Weakening of California
Addressed by staggering periods after 4th week
1st week, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 4th,7th, 6th, etc

The National Plan

Based on an op-ed from Jonathan Soros in the NY Times
2007
2008 super primary
National

Every state votes on the same day?

Not quite
Power in voters hands

Mechanics
Simultaneous primaries across the nation
Voting over five months

Primary on 6/30
Voting begins on January 1st

First voters passionate

All states relevant
Increased participation?
Long relevancy

Allows for retail politicking

Randomness is not fairness
Money would still be a strong factor

Concerns
Potentially far flung states

Difficulties in travelling
Certain states get a benefit due to size
MI has a likelihood to go earlier
39% chance to go in first 5 rounds
States closer to a multiple of 8 have a
greater chance to go earlier

The Delaware Plan

Basil Battaglia
Delaware GOP state chairman

Passed RNC Rules committee (2000)

Failed at RNC convention
Iowan opposition
General RNC opposition

Backloading
Allow small states to go first

Pods of primaries
Each 30 days apart

States can move their primaries beyond

Mechanics
4 pods

Population as determined by census

13, 13, 12, 12
Small states hold primaries in February/ March
Large states vote in May/June
Freedoms
Primary or caucus
Can take place at any time in their month
Free to push back

Red, yellow, green, blue

Benefits
Small states allows for greater grassroots
Momentum for dark-horse candidates
Homesteading weakened
Longer process
9 percent delegates chosen in the first round
Perhaps even delayed to final round
More access
More winners of small contests for a push
Longer time gives more time to develop on good showings
Spread media attention

Negatives
Weaker efforts in each state

Perhaps even ignore states

Money may still be a problem
Spread states requires more money
Longer times require more resources
4 small campaigns
Each set of states requires a refocusing
East Coast Bias
The news cycle moves on East Coast time

Interregional Primary Plan

Rep. Sander Levin
Staggers primaries
6 geographical regions
Each region would have its own regions within it

Tuesdays
March and June
Randomly selected subregions from each region would
participate
Each state would get to go first every 24 years

Regions
6 regions

6 subregions
Region 1: (A) Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont; (B) Massachusetts; (C) Connecticut, Rhode
Island; (D) Delaware, New Jersey; (E) New York; (F) Pennsylvania

Region 2: (A) Maryland; (B) West Virginia; (C) Missouri; (D) Indiana; (E) Kentucky; (F) Tennessee
Region 3: (A) Ohio; (B) Illinois; (C) Michigan; (D) Wisconsin; (E) Iowa; (F) Minnesota
Region 4: (A) Texas; (B) Louisiana; (C) Arkansas, Oklahoma; (D) Colorado; (E) Kansas, Nebraska;
(F) Arizona, New Mexico
Region 5: (A) Virginia; (B) North Carolina; (C) South Carolina; (D) Florida; (E) Georgia; (F)
Mississippi, Alabama
Region 6: (A) California; (B) Washington; (C) Oregon; (D) Idaho, Nevada, Utah; (E) Montana,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming; (F) Hawaii, Alaska

Concerns
Huge travel costs

Have to travel around the country for each contest

Reduces the strength of poorer candidates
Unbalanced mixes of states
One random selection might leave all the biggest states together
Small states might be unbalanced by large states in their group

Rotating Regional Plan

NASS

2000
Endorsed:
Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform
2005
Amy Klouchbar, Joe Lieberman, Lamar Alexander
Introduction of a Senate legislation to implement it

Mechanics
4 Regions

Northeast
South
Midwest
West
Electoral votes in the 90s Census

Rotating
Around the first Tuesday
Starts in March
Exception: Iowa and New Hampshire

Benefits
Removes frontloading
Allows for longer time for voter input
Greater chances for unknown candidates

Equal attention to each region

Each region will get to go first
Regional Issues
National campaign status quo
Relevant issues for relevant people
Better spent money

Problems
Iowa and New Hampshire

Homesteading
Homesteading
Predictable states to target
Constitutionality?

Larger area

Favors rich, well known candidates

Regional Lottery Plan

Amendment to Rotating Regional Plan
Larry Sabato, UVA

Randomly chosen order of nominating regions

Run by a non-partisan commission
Determined 6 months prior
State choice between primary or caucus
Caucus goes before primaries

Removes the privileged position of NH and IA

Shorter process
Unpredictable
Excessively long campaigns

Changes
UVA Center for Politics
Primary v. Caucus unimportant
Small state lottery
Craig Smith

One Day National Primary

Primary/caucuses held on the same day
Proposed 1913 by Woodrow Wilson
A natural result of frontloading?
Increased voter participation

Less interaction between voters and candidates

Depends on quick and wide dissemination
Removes hierarchies
Voters get to vote without influence
Weakens conventions

1970 Democratic commission

The Texas Plan

Four groups

Equal electoral votes

Equal amount of states
Balance Republicans and Democrats
First state goes last in the following cycle

Americans Elect
An online primary

Balanced coalition ticket

2012 election
Led by Peter Ackerman and Kahlil Byrd
Financier
Many from Unity08
Funding issues
Very similar

Mechanics
Individual voters register on the web site
Questionnaire on politics
What do you care about
Contacts
Organize

Draft a candidate

Support an existing one

3 rounds of voting
Prior Experience reduces vote requirement (1000 from 10 states)
5000 otherwise

Mechanics continued
Rounds
May 8, 15,22
Second phase
6 finalists
VP Running mate, of another party
3rd phase
June
Internet convention

Failures
Nobody actually qualified
Buddy Roemer (LA governor)
6000 total supporters

Secrecy
"The folks running Americans Elect, they don't know who the donors are- Larry
Sragow (AE Strategist)
Lack of transparency

Do moderate independents exist?

July 2012
An end