Overview
The current system of political primaries is seriously flawed. The major problems are:
1. Candidates drop out too soon. Candidates drop out of the race before citizens get a chance to know and vote on these candidates.
2. Citizens of several regions of the country have been denied their right to vote.
3. This results in candidates on the November ballot who are not the people’s choice, and who are far from the best options for leading the nation.
In order to fix this problem we need an overhaul of the political primary system. This is the Plan to fix the political system.
Over the last several years I have been studying the issue, proposing ideas, and getting feedback. Today I am ready to offer the details of the final plan to the general public.
The Plan to Overhaul the Political Primary System: In Brief
1. The nation will be divided into 8 Regions.
2. One state from each region will represent the region in the round of Early Primaries.
3. Only after all Early Primaries are completed will a candidate consider dropping out.
4. At this point the second set of primaries takes place: each large state gets to vote on candidates.
5. After the series of Big State Primaries, candidates then have an option to drop out.
6. Remaining states will have their primaries, including Super Tuesday type primaries, until the final candidates are chosen.
The 8 Regions: Purpose of the Regions
The purpose of the Regions is to ensure that all areas of the country have an equal say in choosing the final candidate from each party. A win or loss for a candidate from one region is meaningless. Each region has different cultures, different histories, and different concerns.
All regions must be considered in the Early Primaries. The only useful criteria for a candidate when deciding whether to continue or drop out is considering the total results from all regions of the nation.
Representative State
The concept of Early Primaries does have some logical sense. It is logical for some states to be the initial weeding out states on behalf of the others. However, at the same time, states which participate in Early Primaries must, in total, represent all regions of the nation. To have only a few states represent the nation in Early Primaries, without considering the needs of all other regions, is not in the spirit of democracy or considering the nation as a whole.
The Regions as listed on this Plan will be created by the political party leadership in each state, along with the leadership of the national party. Then one state from each region will be chosen by the fellow states in that Region as the representative in Early Primaries.
How the states in that region choose their Early Primary state is entirely up to them. Furthermore, the same state can be used each time, or each state can serve as the representative in rotation.
The 8 Regions: List of Regions
The Regions for this Political Primary System are based on similar culture, similar daily life, and similar concerns. The groupings are based on elements which tie those states together, based on my experience with each of those states.
A. New England Region: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
B. Mid-Atlantic Region: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland.
C. Great Lakes Region: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana.
D. Mid-West Region: Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.
E. Rockies and Far West Region: Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, Hawaii, California.
F. Southwest Region: Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas.
G. Appalachian Region and Southern States: Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina.
H. Gulf States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida.
Largest States: The Privilege and Reasons
Each of the Largest States have a special place in the new Political Primary System. The most populous states have the greatest number of voting citizens, the greatest number of electoral votes, and therefore should have a significant say in who the candidates should be in the upcoming general election.
Furthermore, in the current system the people of the larger states often want candidates who have dropped out. These candidates could have gotten elected had they campaigned in these larger states.
Therefore, by giving the larger states a greater priority in the primary system, the people of these states have more options, the people will no longer be deprived of their vote, and the people will get their choice in candidate. Similarly, the best candidates will continue in the race, and perhaps be elected, rather than dropping out of the race before the people have spoken.
You will notice that in this plan the largest states have NOT been granted Early Primary Status. However, at the same time, these states deserve more than the current system of being disenfranchised. As a compromise, the largest states will be granted the right to have their voting between the Early Voting states and the Super Tuesday states.
Largest States: Practical Details
After the complete set of Early Primaries is completed, for all Regions, then some candidates will drop out. Yet many candidates will remain. Those candidates that remain will campaign in the largest states.
The Large State Primaries must include California, Texas, New York, and Florida. These states are consistently in the top four of population.
The Large State Primaries might also include any one or more of the following: Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. However, these states may be better used as representatives in their respective Regions.
Due to the size and significance of the large states, each primary will be held no sooner than one week after the previous primary. The candidates need enough time to interact with the people of many regions in that state.
As with Early Primaries, candidates must campaign in ALL large states before dropping out. This will prevent states from jockeying back and forth to have the earliest date. If no candidate drops out until after primaries from all large states have been completed, then it does not matter which state is first.
Campaigning in Large States
Candidates should campaign in each large state. Furthermore, candidates should be encouraged to campaign in several major regions within each state. Only then will the citizens be able to learn of their candidates. Only then will the candidates have the opportunity to get the maximum number of votes from the people.
Certainly money is a concern when campaigning in large states. However, under this plan, only the total results matter, not the individual states. If a candidate wishes to focus on one large state over another because he believes it is most effective, then he can do so. However, candidates who avoid states or avoids regions of states are depriving themselves the option of being elected.
Dropping out after election in All Large States
As stated above, the second point at which a candidate can drop out is after the series of elections in all large states. It is important to remember that no single large state should dictate the choice in candidates. Therefore it is imperative that no candidate drop out until after the results of the elections in all large states.
Political Primaries of Remaining States
At this point the remaining states can have their primaries. At this point, much of the current system can be intact.
Each state can choose when it wants its primary, including the jockeying back and forth of who goes first. Block voting days such as Super Tuesdays are also allowed.
Why Larger States get to Vote before Super Tuesday states
It is important to remember why the large states get priority over remaining states, including block voting of states.
The large states have more electoral votes than any of the smaller states, and block voting as in Super Tuesday does not always translate to acquiring block electoral votes in the general election. Therefore large states must be given priority over Super Tuesday states when choosing candidates in the primaries.
Just as important, in the current system many candidates drop out after block voting without letting the largest states have the opportunity to vote. In the new plan the order of primaries are reversed, which force the candidates to campaign in the largest states.
The candidates can still choose to campaign in the Super Tuesday states. Nothing is prohibiting the candidates from campaigning into all the other states after the largest states have spoken. Yet the new order of primaries will force the candidates to campaign in the largest states. The new order of primaries will give the citizens of the largest states the opportunity to vote for a greater number of candidates.
Summary and Conclusion
The current political primary system is broken. Candidates drop out too soon, candidates do not visit major states or metropolitan regions, and citizens are denied opportunities to vote. This results in candidates who were not chosen by the people. This also results in candidates who do not understand the needs of the nation, instead focusing on a few regions or special interest groups. The job of President is important, and therefore the flawed primary system must be fixed.
Under this plan, the political primaries will be returned to the people. The major steps of this plan are:
1. The nation will be divided into 8 Regions.
2. One state from each region will represent the region in the round of Early Primaries.
3. Only after all Early Primaries are completed will a candidate consider dropping out.
4. The second set of primaries takes place: each of the largest states gets to vote on candidates.
5. After the entire series of large state primaries, candidates then have an option to drop out.
6. Remaining states will have their primaries, including Super Tuesday type primaries, until the final candidates are chosen.
For the good of our nation, please distribute and promote this plan as widely as possible.
