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eissa

(4,238 posts)
Mon Feb 24, 2020, 04:33 PM Feb 2020

Time to do away with caucuses?

No attacks, please! I would love to have a genuine conversation about this. In tallying up the votes from New Hampshire and Nevada (I didn't bother with Iowa for obvious reasons) here are the numbers I came up with (roughly rounded up):

New Hampshire Primary
Total votes cast: 300,000
Population: 1.3 million

Nevada Caucus:
Total votes cast: 100,000
Population: 3 million

More voters engage in the primary process than caucuses. Why are we retaining a system that allows fewer people to have such a large impact on a presidential election? Isn't it time we reform our election system to make it more representative? Would the idea of regional voting be better -- Midwest, Northeast, Rockies, Southeast, etc.? It just seems to me that the current process is flawed and there is definitely room for improvement.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Time to do away with caucuses? (Original Post) eissa Feb 2020 OP
If we insist on doing away with caucuses, for whatever reason... berni_mccoy Feb 2020 #1
Yes and throw in the electoral college as well. CentralMass Feb 2020 #2
Absolutely. polichick Feb 2020 #3
I don't think the states are ready to do away with caucuses ripcord Feb 2020 #4
Why not? eissa Feb 2020 #5
 

berni_mccoy

(23,018 posts)
1. If we insist on doing away with caucuses, for whatever reason...
Mon Feb 24, 2020, 04:46 PM
Feb 2020

we must reform the nominating process of the Democratic Nominee... a process which is largely a caucus that allows party elites to override the wills of voters.

If we don't then the party has no real ground saying that caucuses are unfair, uninspiring, out-dated, or whatever criticism you want to throw at them.

Ideally, all elections in this country, including the nominating process for a party, should be managed as instant runoff elections. This is a way to allow everyone to vote their conscience without losing to an undesirable result.

For example, if instant run-offs had been established before the 2000 election, Gore would have been the winner since most of Nader's supporters would have defaulted to Gore as their second choice (if you believe that Nader was the spoiler in that election).

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

CentralMass

(15,265 posts)
2. Yes and throw in the electoral college as well.
Mon Feb 24, 2020, 04:47 PM
Feb 2020
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

ripcord

(5,084 posts)
4. I don't think the states are ready to do away with caucuses
Mon Feb 24, 2020, 05:17 PM
Feb 2020

And the states are the ones who get to make that decision.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

eissa

(4,238 posts)
5. Why not?
Mon Feb 24, 2020, 06:03 PM
Feb 2020

If more voters engage during primaries, and the goal is always to have more voters participate, then I honestly don't understand the stubbornness to retain a system that is both outdated and results in lower voter participation.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
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