The 2008 presidential primary will likely be remembered for how long it has lasted, so it's easy to forget the intense scramble by state leaders to secure early, influential primary dates. As Stateline.org reports, it's a scenario politicians across the country hope to avoid in 2012:
“Following the frenzied 2008 primary and caucus schedule that began just a few days into the new year, election officials have a strong interest in curbing the impacts of frontloading and restoring order to the process,” said Todd Rokita (R), Indiana secretary of state and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) during a bipartisan gathering at Harvard University here April 29 that brought together party and state leaders to discuss the presidential primary process.
While the controversy surrounding the Michigan and Florida delegations has highlighted the need for reform, the desire to restructure how presidential candidates are chosen is not new. Critics contend that early primaries favor well-funded and well-known candidates and give voters in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire -- which aren't representative of the nation at large, demographically or politically -- disproportionate influence. One such organization is the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), which has been advocating a rotating regional plan for nearly a decade:
Under its proposal, states would be divided into regions — the East, South, Midwest and West — and each of those regions would hold primaries, a month apart, between March and June. New Hampshire and Iowa would still be allowed to go first ...
Stateline also details variations on this plan, some that give more influence to smaller states and others that balance factors like convention delegates and electoral votes. But whichever plan they agree on, advocates of a new calendar must act fast. The Republican National Committee (RNC) requires that GOP delegates approve the changes during the Republican convention, which will be held in the first week of September. State Legislatures would also have to incorporate any reworked federal system into state law.
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