A lottery system that would determine the order of state primaries at random every four years would be preferrable to the status quo.
Copacetic said 02/26, 10:32 PM
Although Iowa and New Hampshire are certainly good examples of the type of state that might be overlooked, voters are not monolithic throughout either New England or the Midwest, or throughout the general contingent of lower populated states. In other words, the issues that tend matter most in Iowa might ring hollow in Rust Belt states with decimated economies. Also, these voters get a chance to matter most every time - why not let voters in Oregon or Kansas have a say? This would also prevent the leapfrogging primary system that, in addition to resulting in the controversy over Michigan and Florida's delegates, will only help the larger states in the long run because as every state moves their primaries as early as possible, the primaries will simply bunch up even further in time, and candidates will only have time to concentrate on states like Texas, California, and New York. A lottery system would keep everything fresh and give more citizens a chance to have a real say in whom their party nominates at some point in their lives.
AKMike said 02/27, 02:22 AM
State primaries are just that STATE primaries. We have done so much to destroy the soverignty of the states already, to take state elections and make them federal elections would be a travesty.
The second overriding point here, is that the primaries should belong to the parties, not to the government. The primaries can only loosely be described as elections. They should be an internal process for the parties to choose their candidate. Nobody is elected to office in the presidential primaries.
Copacetic said 02/27, 02:36 AM
I never stated that it would be a government mandated action, though I agree with you on the negative implications of what would happen if primaries became federal elections. In fact, it would be preferrable if both major parties initiated such a program - it would not only strengthen the state parties by eliminating their grounds for conflicts with their national counterparts, but also would reduce the risk of federal intervention in primaries, should any of the current disputes over the leapfrogging primaries end up in federal court.
AKMike said 02/27, 01:09 PM
The national parties should let the state parties decide how and when to choose their electors. Just as in any government the governing authority that is closer to the people can better govern the people because the people are closer to the decision makers. The state parties themselves should be able to make the decision on how to make their voice better heard.
Copacetic said 02/27, 11:46 PM
While we seem to agree that the federal government doesn't have any place in dictating the terms of parties' private elections, I disagree that individual states would do so most efficiently from the perspective of the good of a party. The Democratic Party has found itself distracted by the ongoings in Michigan and Florida, and the state parties in these states bypassed the good of their voters' in that state for the chance for later benefits for the respective states. Individual parties do not necessarily deserve any specific rights, because they are both beholden to and officially affiliated with the larger parties. To have them play by the party's rules is not too much to ask.
AKMike said 02/27, 11:56 PM
I agree with the problems you are observing in the Democratic party. I think that the problem here is that we have turned the election process almost into a reality show. I'm fearing we are getting closer to that every year. If we ever get internet voting, and with how less formal and more sensationalized the debates are becoming, we're almost there. I think this lottery system that you propose would add to that. I'm sure there would be a big television event, states would be tuning in to see how they do. I think we need to take a big step backwards in how we elect a President, not forward. We really need to put a professional look back on the Presidential elections and not sensationalize it anymore than we already have.
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That is a good question, but I think if the parties decided to do this route, it would only be a question of implementation. Hopefully a reasonable solution could be drafted before the next election cycle.
base89 | 02/27/08
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It's a difficult issue to discuss. However, I'm disappointed neither debater brought out a very real motivation for state's wanting earlier primaries: money. Look at the extensive amounts of money each candidate has raised - and spent - thus far. They spend this money in early battleground states in an effort to TKO any competition. States with earlier primaries often benefit economically not just from the campaign spending, but from the national spotlight shining on their state. This is about more than pure party ideology, but very real economic factors. Based on the argument, while both debaters made well-spoken pitches, I'll vote for Copacetic. While I also worry that the political process will turn into a "reality show," I think that's not necessarily a bad thing for democracy as a whole, as any attentiveness to the political process must be better than picking someone because "they would rather have a beer with them."
Austhus | 02/28/08
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They should just do them all at once. That way people will vote their conscience and not just follow the herd. Also, it would significantly cut down on all the money and adds, since we wouldn't be dragging it out over such a long period of time.
Eveas | 02/28/08
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Please keep it clean. Bad words will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.
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Odd, I was just thinking about this the other day and had wondered whether something like this had ever been put forth as a possibility. Personally, I think some kind of primary lottery system for state voting sequence would be great. The question is how could it best be implemented.
wmrike | 02/27/08
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