Matt Stevens (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} kent_allard_jr) wrote,@ 2008-03-31 09:57:00 |
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My Solution to the Primary Mess
Now that the Democratic nomination process is fucked up to hell, I thought it may be a good time to post the Matt Plan for Holding Primaries and Caucuses. The original goal behind the Plan was to keep some elements of "retail politics" in the nomination process, so that ordinary voters get a chance to meet and question candidates, while eventually easing Iowa and New Hampshire out of their privileged positions. One other feature is that it wraps the whole process up in a month, so we wouldn't be waiting six goddam months to discover who the nominee is.
Anyway, here's the plan: Every 12 years, select 1 state at random from each of the 9 census regions. Of those 9, the state with the lowest population gets to hold the first primary/caucus. The second lowest-population state holds the next contest, one week later. After another week, the three next-smallest states hold their primaries or caucuses simultaneously. The following week the remaining 4 states hold simultaneous elections. Then, after an appropriate interval, the remaining states (and non-states that send delegates) hold elections in a nationwide primary.
For political reasons, we can forgo random selection of the first nine early-election states, so states like Iowa and New Hampshire don't automatically oppose the plan. After 12 years, however, their privileged positions would go to other states within their census regions. (I picked 12 years to ensure that at least one census would fall between each cycle, and to give states the time to schedule votes according to the plan.)
Does this plan have any chance of being implemented? I doubt it. No harm in making it public, though.
Now that the Democratic nomination process is fucked up to hell, I thought it may be a good time to post the Matt Plan for Holding Primaries and Caucuses. The original goal behind the Plan was to keep some elements of "retail politics" in the nomination process, so that ordinary voters get a chance to meet and question candidates, while eventually easing Iowa and New Hampshire out of their privileged positions. One other feature is that it wraps the whole process up in a month, so we wouldn't be waiting six goddam months to discover who the nominee is.
Anyway, here's the plan: Every 12 years, select 1 state at random from each of the 9 census regions. Of those 9, the state with the lowest population gets to hold the first primary/caucus. The second lowest-population state holds the next contest, one week later. After another week, the three next-smallest states hold their primaries or caucuses simultaneously. The following week the remaining 4 states hold simultaneous elections. Then, after an appropriate interval, the remaining states (and non-states that send delegates) hold elections in a nationwide primary.
For political reasons, we can forgo random selection of the first nine early-election states, so states like Iowa and New Hampshire don't automatically oppose the plan. After 12 years, however, their privileged positions would go to other states within their census regions. (I picked 12 years to ensure that at least one census would fall between each cycle, and to give states the time to schedule votes according to the plan.)
Does this plan have any chance of being implemented? I doubt it. No harm in making it public, though.
