Reply #41: Sorry for the delay! I've been busy.

[crispini]

And thanks for the thoughtful response.

Answers backwards first:

Apportionment of delegates is in fact based on prior turnout -- it's proportional to the number of people who voted for the Democratic candidate for governor two years before.

Party affiliation only changes in the primary. You can vote for whoever you want in the GE. There's still a secret ballot, of course. The only thing that is public record is which primary you voted in, and you are correct, it's just the fact that you chose a ballot, you may choose to turn in an entirely blank ballot if you want.

You have sort of semi-convinced me with your arguments that maybe the 1/3 - 2/3 split might be too much. (That's the split when you leave out the superdelegates.) We have to keep the convention system, though, because that's the core of the way the party works. Delegates don't just vote for the presidential candidates. They also vote for our DNC members and our SDEC members, as well as the chair of the TDP. You might be able to talk me into backing off to a different proportion, but in my eyes, the caucuses are the "gateway drug" to greater participation in the party. ;) And the more people who are involved, the better. In my mind, there does need to be SOME incentive / reward for the activists.

However, I will concede that I don't know how other states work. What do the states with straight primaries do?