S. 1905 would provide for a rotating schedule for regional selection of delegates to a national Presidential nominating convention.
Detailed Summary
Regional Presidential Primary and Caucus Act of 2007 - Divides the United States into four regions of specified states (including the District of Columbia) for holding presidential primaries in each presidential election year. Requires four successive presidential primaries in each such year, to be held during the period beginning on the first Tuesday of March, April, May, and June and ending on the sixth day following such Tuesday.
Directs the Election Assistance Commission to establish procedures for the conduct of a lottery by March 1, 2010, to select which of four regions will hold the first primary.
Sets forth a rule for subsequent election cycles.
Provides that, in the case where a state elects to select delegates to a political party's national presidential nominating convention through a caucus, the state shall hold a caucus during the period in which its region is scheduled to hold a primary.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 9/19/2007: Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Rules and Administration. Date of scheduled hearing. SR-301. 9:30 a.m.
Points in Favor
1. February 5 is too early to have nearly half the states holding primaries. The candidates can't adequately communicate their views to enough of the people in the states where the primaries are being held when "Super Tuesday" is so early. A 4 month regional primary, as proposed in S. 1905 and H.R. 3487 would hold the first primary in March, and it would only be one-fourth of the states. The candidates could focus their campaigning in one region for a longer period, allowing more people in the affected states to hear how the candidates address their concerns. The second region would vote in April, allowing 2 months longer for large sections of the nation to hear about the candidates.
2. States should not decide when to hold their primaries. The President represents ALL of the states and ALL of the people. The regional primary would create a more democratic and fair way for ALL of the states and ALL of the people to have influence on the candidate selection process.
Points Against
1. Iowa and New Hampshire still retain a special privilege and get to hold the first caucus and primary. Two small states should not hold such disproportionate influence over EVERY election.
2. Since some of the four regions tend to have an ideological leaning, when any particular region holds the first primary, a candidate who fits that region's conservative/liberal bias will have a distinct advantage gaining campaign support and fundraising. A system in which each primary represents a cross-section of the country would be better for reducing sectional bias.
Visitor Comments
Carl
February 25, 2008, 11:26am (report abuse)It's counterproductive to an open and fair democratic process for the entire country that states are individually deciding when to hold presidential primaries. Candidates can't effectively mount a campaign when half the states hold a primary on the same day in early February. Minor candidates won't be able to have enough time to be introduced and heard. Large states will hold disproportionate sway, and people in different parts of the country won't have equal access to the candidates.
Please contact your congress members and urge your support for S.1905 and its companion bill, H.R. 3487. No system is perfect, but these bills will introduce 4 regional primaries, one per month from March to June, with the regions rotating each election for the first position.
Contribute to the discussion on my blog at regionalprimary.wordpress.com.
-Carl