New hope for presidential primary reform

March 06, 2009

One of Secretary of State Sam Reed's longtime goals, to replace the out-of-control, front-loaded system of presidential primaries with a rotating regional primary, could be within reach.

Reed, a leader of primary reform efforts by the National Association of Secretaries of State, says optimism is growing that the Republican and Democratic national committees will hammer out an agreement that can be in place in time for the 2012 cycle. The Republican National Convention authorized an interim study panel to work on a proposal to present to the Republican National Committee. (Previously only the convention itself could approve such a big change.) The Democratic National Committee already is at work and the DNC and RNC rules chairmen already are meeting, amicably. In a letter to the new GOP Chairman, Michael Steele, today, Republican Reed writes:

It is vital we understand the importance of the presidential primary process to the citizens of our country. Presidential primaries bring candidates to the states, allowing for more personal contact with voters and relying less on expensive ad campaigns. In turn, the electorate is more engaged and more involved. We all agree that the last presidential primary process started too early. Rather than a system where states are front-loading the calendar and candidates are dashing across the country, not spending more than a day in one state, we owe it to the electorate to come up with a more rational and organized process.

Reed likes the NASS plan, which would luster regional groupings of states and let them take turns being first. The West would go first in 2012, in March, followed by the Midwest in April, the South in May and the East in June. In 2016, the Midwest w0uld go first, and the West would be last. Another idea is called the Ohio Plan, and uses four clusters of states that include various sized states. Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina could continue their early-bird status, but couldn't start before Feb. 1. The other clusters would follow, one per month. We'll keep you posted.
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