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The Interregional Primary Plan is a proposed reform to the
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primary calendar supported by Representative Sandy Levin and
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, both Democrats. The plan would break the country into six regions. From those regions, one subregion - either a single state or a group of smaller states - would vote on each primary date (e.g., all A states,) with the entire country having held its primaries after the sixth set of primaries votes. Each state would vote first once every twenty-four years, with the first set of primaries determined by
lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...
and cycled thereafter. Historically, the presidential primary season started slowly, ramping up several weeks after the
Iowa caucuses The Iowa caucuses are quadrennial electoral events for the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections, where registered voters cast ballots at polling places on election day, Iowa caucuses are ...
and the
New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest, the first being the Iowa caucuses, held in the United States every four years as part of the process of cho ...
. In the 2008 Presidential primary season, with competition to increase the relevance of each state's selection process, 34 states (plus the
District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
), have scheduled their primary or caucus process to be held in January and February, tripling the number of states voting this early than the count in the 2000 races.Pantagraph Editorial Board
"End Iowa, New Hampshire dominance; rotate primaries"
''Bloomington Pantagraph'', January 13, 2008. Accessed January 19, 2008.


Proposed dates

*1st Primaries: Second Tuesday in March *2nd Primaries: First Tuesday in April *3rd Primaries: Fourth Tuesday in April *4th Primaries: Second Tuesday in May *5th Primaries: Fourth Tuesday in May *6th Primaries: Second Tuesday in June


Proposed Regions


Criticisms


Travel time

The interregional plan would prevent any cost savings from travel or common media markets. Each primary date would be national in geographic scope. This is directly counter to the goal of many plans is to allow for entry of less-funded candidates early on.


Varying primary size

With random assignment to groups within each region, any given primary date could be as small as 29 congressional districts, or as large as 167 (out of 435) districts (if the random draw were to pick CA, TX, NY, FL, IL, and PA together). With this variation in size comes a variation in importance. If a medium-sized state like Maryland (8 districts) were paired up with California in a 130-district primary, the state would have little importance. If, on the other hand, it were paired up with smaller states in a 45-district primary, Maryland would suddenly be center-stage. With some rigging, the six primaries can be set to between 70 and 79 districts each, but again whoever gets paired with California is largely ignored.


See also

*
United States presidential primary Each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five territories of the United States holds either primary elections or caucuses to help nominate individual candidates for president of the United States. This process is designed ...
*
United States presidential election The election of the president of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are Voter registration in the United ...
*
United States presidential election debates During presidential election campaigns in the United States, it has become customary for the candidates to engage in one or more debates. The topics discussed in the debate are often the most controversial issues of the time, and arguably e ...
*
American presidential debate During United States presidential election, presidential election campaigns in the United States, it has become customary for the candidates to engage in one or more debates. The topics discussed in the debate are often the most controversial ...
*
United States presidential nominating convention A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The formal purp ...
*
United States Electoral College In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice p ...
Early Votes * Ames (Iowa) Straw Poll on a Saturday in August prior to the election year, since 1979 *
Iowa caucus The Iowa caucuses are quadrennial electoral events for the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections, where registered voters cast ballots at polling places on election day, Iowa caucuses are ...
first official election year event since 1972 *
New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest, the first being the Iowa caucuses, held in the United States every four years as part of the process of cho ...
first national primary stop since 1952 Reform Plans * United States presidential primary reform proposals * Graduated Random Presidential Primary System * Rotating Regional Primary System * Delaware Plan * National Primary


References


External links


FairVote.org: Interregional Primary Plan
{{U.S. presidential primaries United States presidential primaries