Voting Rights

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The Presidential Primary: A Privilege, Not a Right

Although a work of tremendous vision, the United States Constitution does not provide us with a method for nominating presidential candidates. So, the political parties (which the writers of the Constitution did not envisage) direct the nominating process themselves.

For the past few decades, parties have used the results from state primaries and caucuses to determine the final nominee at the national convention. Critics of this process claim that voters don’t have enough of an effect on the nomination. And now that primaries are being cancelled all over the nation, voters may have even less of a say.

In order to think critically about the presidential nomination process and to decide if primaries are, in fact, essential, we have to refresh our understanding of primaries, caucuses, and conventions. How do they work?

Primary basics

- Presidential primaries are a relatively recent phenomenon. Not making an appearance until the 20th century, they are hardly a deep-rooted tradition in presidential elections.

- In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, voters complained that nominations were made by party bosses in “smoke-filled rooms." Presidential primaries were thus introduced to give voters a voice in the nomination process. (Whether or not primaries accomplish this is debatable.)

- Primaries allow voters to go to the polls and select their choice. However, they do not directly nominate the candidate. Rather, the outcome of the primary designates delegates who then vote at the national convention.

- There are both open and closed primaries. In an open primary, any voter can vote for any candidate in any party. In a closed primary, a voter must vote within her party.

Eight states cancel

For the 2004 presidential election, states are reconsidering the value of the primary. And since there is no law requiring states to hold a primary, many have cut it to save money. So far, Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Washington have cancelled their primaries for budget reasons.

Are primaries valuable?

Critics claim that primaries divide party constituents along ideological lines; that that they cannot produce a national consensus; and they unjustifiably deplete valuable funds and energy from the candidates.

Primary defenders argue that regardless of the expense, they give voters a chance to influence a party’s nomination. They claim that if the nomination is left up to party leaders, voters may end up with substandard nominees in the general election. Further, proponents claim that primaries force candidates to prove their worthiness – a candidate’s stamina, skill, and ability to deal with pressure all come out in the primary campaign.

Although primaries exist to empower voters, voter turnout for presidential primaries is quite low, usually around twenty percent of registered voters. Although a small number of voters participate in the primary, even fewer participate in caucuses, which are the alternative to primaries.

Caucus basics

The purpose of the caucus is equal to that of the primary: to give voters the chance to have a say in the nomination of presidential candidates. The difference is that party caucuses are usually held in meeting spaces or private homes and voters express their nominee preference verbally. Sometimes, caucus participants put the name of their preferred candidate into a hat and the results are sent to party headquarters.

All registered voters are invited to attend caucuses, though the voter must be willing to sign a statement that promises her affiliation with the party and that she will not participate in other parties’ caucuses.

Very few people participate in caucuses, perhaps because they are not widely advertised and discussed. But caucuses are especially important in the states where primaries have been cancelled. To participate in a caucus, contact your favorite party’s state headquarters.

Convention basics

The main event of a party’s national convention is the nomination of candidate for the Presidency. At the convention, a Roll Call of the States takes place, where the number of delegates for each candidate is announced for each state. The Roll Call is largely ceremonial, because the convention takes place after most voters have seen the results of the primaries and caucuses and know who will be nominated.

Is there a better way?

In part, Washington state cancelled its primary because the Democratic Party announced that it would ignore the state’s primary results. The party decided to use the results of the state caucuses instead. Since the election would cost somewhere around $6 million, Gov. Gary Locke encouraged the state congress to drop the primary election.

Clearly, parties control party nominations. Currently, local and federal government has very little power to intervene and impose on parties a fair nomination process. For now, party members will have to insist on an evenhanded method for choosing nominees, especially if the primary goes by way of the dinosaur.

WomenMatter is dedicated to the ability of women to inform ourselves on the issues, note the policies and philosophies behind the stances of each candidate – and then to make our voices heard in the primaries. In the general election we get to choose a party. In the primary we get to choose an individual.

For more on Voting Rights, click here. To discuss this issue with other WomenMatter readers, log on to one of our online forums. When you are ready, contact your representatives and let them know what you think.

Update Posted on: 12/17/2003

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