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  #16 (permalink)  
Old 06-04-2008
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jviehe jviehe is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLastBoyScout View Post
I like the idea, but it sounds like integrity would be a hard thing to guarantee.

It would be a pure administrative nightmare to allow people to change their vote......let alone allow them to change it an unlimited amount of times.

In your scenario, would the real outcome still be determined by the electoral college or are you proposing a pure popular vote?
Im only discussing primary voting here, but I think weve long since given up the electoral system, except when someone needs it to win. For all practical purpose we have a popular voting system. The electoral college was made for a day where there was no instant communication and 24 hour news. I dont see a rolling voting system as an administrative nightmare though. We have computers to do the work.
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  #17 (permalink)  
Old 06-04-2008
noahath noahath is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Personally I think the current primary system is flawed in the respect that what if voters in say Montana wanted to vote for someone other than Obama or Clinton ... or even McCain? They can't because voters in earlier states have already forced other candidates out. Some of those candidates may have done well in states that held primaries at a later time. I think the suggestion in the OP is not a bad one. I still think there's flaws, but certainly less than the current system.
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  #18 (permalink)  
Old 06-04-2008
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Spadplanter Spadplanter is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

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  #19 (permalink)  
Old 06-04-2008
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Re: Alternative Primary System

One day for a national primary, with ALL candidates running (so you aren't left with only the ones with the most moola). Democratic and Republican primaries to be one week apart. One month to campaign for that primary. NO superdelegates, and in the event of a tie, a runoff between the two.
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  #20 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
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Dilettante Dilettante is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by noahath View Post
Personally I think the current primary system is flawed in the respect that what if voters in say Montana wanted to vote for someone other than Obama or Clinton ... or even McCain? They can't because voters in earlier states have already forced other candidates out. Some of those candidates may have done well in states that held primaries at a later time. I think the suggestion in the OP is not a bad one. I still think there's flaws, but certainly less than the current system.
I think that could be solved by changing up the order of primaries. My suggestion is that states should vote in order based on the number of delegates they have, with the state with the fewest delegates voting first and the state with the most delegates voting last.
Thus the little states wouldn't be ignored since they would set the tone for the whole campaign and would give the less financially able candidates a chance to make a splash and raise some funds. And, if states like Ohio, Texas and California voted last, very rarely would the primary season end before every state had had a chance to vote.
...on the other hand, I'm about sick of this primary season, so maybe that's a bad idea...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scribbler1 View Post
One day for a national primary, with ALL candidates running (so you aren't left with only the ones with the most moola). Democratic and Republican primaries to be one week apart. One month to campaign for that primary. NO superdelegates, and in the event of a tie, a runoff between the two.
I can't imagine how you could limit the amount of time someone can campaign.
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  #21 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scribbler1 View Post
One day for a national primary, with ALL candidates running (so you aren't left with only the ones with the most moola). Democratic and Republican primaries to be one week apart. One month to campaign for that primary. NO superdelegates, and in the event of a tie, a runoff between the two.
Better yet, if no one gets a majority of votes, a runoff between anyone with a significant percentage until someone does.
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  #22 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
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Evil_inKarlate Evil_inKarlate is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

I have a Really wacky idea - Given that both halves of our ruling party are officially private entities, let them hold their primaries However They Choose - all at once, alphabetically by state, alphabetically by voter name, or whatever. The only thing Really wrong here is that the government is dictating the internal workings of an ostensibly law-abiding private entity. They don't care who gets the little league MVP, or who is the captain of the bowling team, or any number of other things, why should they dictate how a political nominee is selected? After all, if a party has a particularly good/bad method of candidate selection, that can become another factor for voters to consider when deciding who is fit to rob our grandchildren blind.
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  #23 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by Evil_inKarlate View Post
I have a Really wacky idea - Given that both halves of our ruling party are officially private entities, let them hold their primaries However They Choose - all at once, alphabetically by state, alphabetically by voter name, or whatever. The only thing Really wrong here is that the government is dictating the internal workings of an ostensibly law-abiding private entity. They don't care who gets the little league MVP, or who is the captain of the bowling team, or any number of other things, why should they dictate how a political nominee is selected? After all, if a party has a particularly good/bad method of candidate selection, that can become another factor for voters to consider when deciding who is fit to rob our grandchildren blind.
I agree. I wasnt sugessting the govt come up with this method, but rather the parties.
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  #24 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
Rough Rider Rough Rider is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by noahath View Post
I disagree. Whilst the election campaign is not centred in NY or CA, how many times do you see candidates hustling in Montana for their 3 votes? Elections are these days centred around Florida, Michigan and Ohio, so the electoral college has basically confirmed what it was set up to stop: the power of a small number of states to decide the election.
While the politicians may not spend equal times campaigning in all states, the EC offsets the exact thing you are describing. So, it works as designed by offsetting the power of states with larger, more urban centralized populations.
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  #25 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
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Re: Alternative Primary System

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Originally Posted by Dilettante View Post
I can't imagine how you could limit the amount of time someone can campaign.
Why not? It's our country, not theirs, and if we get together and say that's what we want, they had better start DOING it.
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  #26 (permalink)  
Old 06-05-2008
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scribbler1 View Post
Why not? It's our country, not theirs, and if we get together and say that's what we want, they had better start DOING it.
I completely agree with limiting the campaign time. I almost always get cranky as the campaigning continues, then I get burnt-out (but I still vote). However and unfortunately, it is hard to reconcile this opinion with allowing states' rights when it comes to their spending money on the primaries. There has to be a way to respect states' rights and limit campaigning time. I am not savvy enough in the law to find the way, though.
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  #27 (permalink)  
Old 06-06-2008
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Dilettante Dilettante is offline
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Re: Alternative Primary System

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scribbler1 View Post
Why not? It's our country, not theirs, and if we get together and say that's what we want, they had better start DOING it.
Well, what is campaigning? It's people saying (1) I (or th person I support) want to be elected to office X, (2) This is why I (or th person I support) should be elected, or (3) This is what my (his/her) views on policy are.

To stop people from campaigning, you'd effectively have to stop people from describing what they thing gov. policy should be and forbid them from telling anyone who they wanted to see elected to public office.
Not only would it be a blatant violation of free speech, it would also be completely unenforceable; you'd effectively be outlawing discussions of politics in an election year.

And, finally, it would give massive power to the incumbents since they effectively "campaign" through the actions they take in office.
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