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DEL.ICIO.USPart presidential primary, part lottery: This bipartisan plan assumes choosing a world leader should be a logical process
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hill, the newspaper that covers the doings of the U.S. Capitol, has a first look at a plan by U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to create a new presidential primary structure that would divide the country into four regions.
Each region would vote in a different month.
Says the Hill:
The Regional Presidential Primary and Caucus Act, which would take effect in the 2012 elections, is a result of this year’s rush by states to the front of the line, with big states like California, New York and New Jersey moving to Feb. 5 and Florida jumping to Jan. 29.
The proposal calls for a rotating schedule of the four regions, while still protecting the “traditional” first states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
The states would be divided into the East (Region I), South (II), Midwest (III) and West (IV) regions.
A lottery would be held to determine which region votes first on the first Tuesday or within six days of the first Tuesday in March. The other regions would follow in numerical order in April, May and June. Whichever region goes first in 2012 would go to the back of the line in 2016.
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By Kyle
July 31, 2007 4:08 PM | Link to this
this would be better then the current system
By Matt
July 31, 2007 4:54 PM | Link to this
I agree. It’s a lot better than what we have, would cut down on campaign costs, and would allow candidates to do retail campaigning instead of media campaigning.
I do wish the regions would be smaller (8 regions) and would be paired with geographically politically so that by, say, paring the South with New England, you would force candidates to compete in areas with differing political cultures. That way, a candidate can’t win the nomination based almost entirely on media-fueled momentum.
Also, make New Hampshire and Iowa wait their turn, too. They’re no better than everyone else.