Any thoughts on streamlining the endless presidential nominations:

[babylonsister]

primaries and elections? As exciting as it's been this year, it's ridiculous. The money and time spent on this 'show' that could be spent getting something accomplished is really overwhelming.

That, and making the system honest; imagine not having to worry about whether your vote will count or not. If I ever found out mine doesn't/didn't, that's just unacceptable. What about all those disenfranchised voters, for whatever reason?

And just think of the things that have been ignored.

[Wetzelbill]

1. I wish we could all just go vote

on one day for a nominee, like we do in a general election. I wish we could also get rid of the electoral college and do it by popular vote.

I also think a nonpartisan government entity should take care of registering voters, plus staffing and overseeing polls and electoral counts. Registering voters and making sure that person has the right to vote should be as partisan and competent as say how you get your mail delivered.

[babylonsister]

3. So 10 months is acceptable? What fries me is

Canada: they have one month to get it done.

Australia: they can change horses in the middle of the stream if enough of the electorate are angry, but everyone is 'REQUIRED' to vote.

Hmmm. I like Australia, though some people throw their vote to be vindictive.

Required to vote? I love the concept. The concept makes it more important to me.

[RagAss]

2. Not to mention my carpel tunnel.

[OmahaBlueDog]

4. Three tier national primary

Last Friday-Tuesday in March (adjust if it's Easter/Passover)-- the caravan of candidates (however many we start with) is cut to 4

Last Friday-Tuesday in April (adjust if it's Easter/Passover) -- 4 candidates are whittled down to a final 2

Last Friday-Tuesday in May -- A candidate is chosen

Also, one of the first orders of business needs to be a bipartisan commission on election reform. We need to:

- Agree on a national standard for ballot look, feel, type size, etc.
- Agree on national standards for paper trail, transparency, auditablilty, and records retention
- Illegalize efforts by 3rd parties to take voters off of the rolls
- End 3rd party paper voter registration efforts, and replace them with simple, easy to access on-line registrations; also continue/augment efforts to make voter registration simultaneous with obtaining drivers license or state ID.
- Revise "Help America Vote"; we do need a law that prevents out of state/precinct voting, but that also allows for quick, common-sense changes when people move, marry, divorce, etc.

[Genevieve]

5. it's awfully long - - - nerve-wracking long, actually. nt

[pnwmom]

6. I think the long primary process turned out to be good for Obama.

A short period would favor someone who began with more name recognition.

[TxRider]

7. There's only one way

Get involved and get your state to move back primaries.

The primaries have been pushed so far out in front of the elections is the state's little leapfrog competitions to see who could hold the first primary that it's gotten totally out of hand.

[woolldog]

8. If it were streamlined,

there's no way Obama would have won. A streamlined process favors establishment candidates.