The Strengths and weaknesses of the US Primary System
Discussion
Historical background of the US Primary System
The American primary election system emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The people were against strong party organizations and the control of the organizations over the nominations of candidates .The emergence of primary elections can be attributed to two factors1)the desire to make changes in the party convention system in matters of candidate selection and 2)introduction of secret ballots to promote free voting for the party nominees. The evolution of primaries was encouraged by the need to reduce the domination of conservative organizations in politics .In the US, the growth of primaries is considered to have been made necessary by the concerns that caucuses or party conventions were under the control of political machines. In 1899, the first statewide primary was held in Minnesota. As a result, the first statewide primary system was instituted in Minnesota two years later. In 1901, the first presidential primary election was organized in Florida. Since then, the significance of primaries in the candidate selection system has been increasing .Consequently, the voters have managed to have more influence on candidate selection while the power of party organizations and leaders on the outcome of the primaries has declined.However,some states in the US hold primary caucuses instead of primary elections .For some instance, in states such as Colorado,Utah,Nevada and Alaska, delegates are selected by party officials or political activists at conventions or caucuses. State conventions then choose delegates to the national convention. In such cases, party members and activists dominate caucus meetings where political issues are discussed. These party members usually participate in each stage of the process.
Common features of US primary elections
In primaries, individuals who seek party nomination for an elective office are required to make an application for nomination. The petition needs to be signed by a certain number of voters stipulated by law. For each party nomination, the names of all the candidates appear on the ballot papers. The candidate who receives the majority number of votes in each party primary becomes the party nominee. Presidential candidates in a primary (state caucus) are delegates who vote for presidential nominees at party conventions .Delegates support candidates from various political parties. The allocation of delegates to candidates who intend to run for presidency vary in primaries held in different US states. Three methods of candidate allocation include the proportional representation primary, winner-take-all system (WTA) and the run-off (two-round) system. In the winner-take-all system (WTA), delegates from a state are allocated to the candidate who manages to win majority votes during a state primary election. The run-off system is applied in regions such as Louisiana during congressional, state and local elections. When none of the candidate receives a majority, a run-off is held. In the proportional representation system, the delegates are allocated in proportion to the number of votes that a candidate received in the primary.
The Strengths of the primary system
The US primary elections to choose the Republican and Democratic parties candidates to contest for presidential elections promote the credibility of elections and democracy.The primaries of the two parties are fair and transparent. This promotes democracy and allows citizens to express their opinion about political leaders. The primaries of the Democratic and Republican parties have different patterns. Each party puts into place its own rules and procedures. The support that citizens give to a leader depends on the confidence the citizens have in the leaders .The direct voting by citizens in the primaries provides citizens with the power to elect leaders hence citizens affiliated to a particular party vote for their candidate of choice. Political party candidates participate in campaigns to garner votes from the party supporters.
The fact that the primary system allows the registered voters of each party to be engaged in intense political debate before they vote for their candidate of choice is strength of the primary system. In caucuses, the registered voters in every party meet to discuss political matters. As compared to other voters in other democracies, American voters are offered greater privilege by the primary election system. This can be attributed to the fact that voters participate in the both the general election and the nomination of the party candidates .For instance, in many Latin America countries, political parties or the political leaders lobby to influence who should be delegates. The fixing of results during conventions, assemblies and congress allow incumbent political leaders to appoint party nominees. The US primary system does not give room to such undemocratic practices. In addition, in some countries, a consensus between party leaders and alliances influence the outcome of party nominations. This does not occur in US due to the primary system. Supporters of the Republican or Democratic parties in various states decide on which candidate should represent them in the presidential polls.
Procedures that are followed in caucuses vary with the provisions made by the state laws. This flexibility strengthens the primary election process. In many states, voters usually meet in schools, private homes and public building to discuss political issues and their party candidates. The voters then elect delegates who represent them to the county conventions. Selection of delegates to the national convention is done at the state conventions. In some Democratic caucuses, voters are divided into groups and gather in different corners to express their support for different delegates and candidates. Republican caucuses adopt secret ballot voting and the results determine the allocation of delegates. In primary elections, all the registered voters in states vote directly for the candidate of their choice .From every state, a certain number of delegates are sent to the parties national conventions. The caucuses or primaries then determine the candidate who the delegate votes for. If in a certain state a candidate gets many votes, more delegates who support the candidate from that state will be sent to the national convention. For example, in 2008, states such as New Hampshire and Iowa held their caucuses on 8th January and 3rd January respectively. The voters in these states are considered to be politically educated hence holding primaries earlier than other state is accepted.
The power given to the voters to vote without an obligation to the party is a great advantage of the US primary system. To begin with, voters do not have to pay party dues or to subscribe to the principles of a particulars party to participate in elcetions.Furthermore, voters are not obligated to vote for their party in the general elections. For example, in open primaries, voters in a state participate in only one primary elections regardless of their party affliliations.The system ensures that the most popular candidate is elected regardless of an individuals party affliation.The open primary system was used in about 20 US states by 2005.Itis seen to be a very democratic method of ensuring that the most popular candidate is chosen. All citizens who are eligible for voting are encouraged to register in their respective states in order to participate in this important exercise.
The US primary system increases public interest in the elections. The huge media gives a wide coverage of the primary elections. This allows candidates who are running for political forces to try and gain publicity. This has led to front-loading, a process through which the primary elections are shifted to the beginning of the year. For example, in Iowa and New Hamphire, primaries are held at the beginning of the year. This marks the beginning of the primary season which usually begins in January and then ends with the summer conventions of the parties. The primary season allows the candidates to have ample time to participate in the electoral campaigns .Since the results of the elections from New Hampshire and Iowa receive great media attention, the candidate who wins in these states is considered to be the most likely front runner of that party. Primaries and caucuses are held in 16 states and during Super Tuesday (first Tuesday in March), primaries are held in thirteen states.
Some of the largest primaries that have been are those in New York and California .The primary system through the primary season allows the candidates to acquire a forum through which one can gain publicity and speak out about political issues and government policies.Furthermore, the candidates are able to campaign to a large electorate. The front-loading process is therefore very instrumental in enabling a candidate to gather momentum in order to win early primaries. It is important that candidates make a good start in the primaries to get the party nomination.However, George W. Bush case was an exception when he made a poor start in the primary elections but was able to win the 2000 Republican Party nomination.
The primary election system minimizes the influence of party leaders on the outcome of the elections. The system instead increases the influence of the voters on elections. Benefits to a party are experienced when the endorsed candidate wins the primary. Unity in the party is promoted when all party members give support to one candidate. In addition, primary elections reduce negative impact of campaign financing on the outcome of the primaries. In this case, the final decision of the voters combined with the need to fulfill party responsibilities become a priority. The fact that the primary election process begins several months before the general elections provides voters and parties with enough time to participate in political debates .This enables the voters to choose a candidate who they are convinced will better address issues of concern to them. The duration of the primary season also ensures that there is adequate time for a wide range of political issues to be debated. The front loading process has great benefit to the candidates. During the primary season, election campaigns prepare the candidates to contest with their opponents. The candidates attempt to convince the voters that they are the best candidates.
The primary system encourages competition between candidates when the candidates spend their time and resources to reach out to the voters .The season also offers ample time for the candidates to mobilize their supporters during the process. The United States has emerged to be the only nation that uses a primary system and its advantage when it comes to presidential elections is evident. Each political party is able to realize the kind of support its candidate has nationwide. When the idea of primaries was introduced, it was meant to put more power into the hands of citizens by reducing the concentration of power within the political parties. For people and independents who lack party affiliation, they can participate in an open process without necessarily having a close relationship with a particular political party. Democratic election has had Americans elect good leaders to serve in the political offices. An example of a US President who managed to introduce reforms that benefited the people is Bill Clinton .His popularity and good governance is a reflection of how the primary system has enabled American citizens to elect good leaders.
In present day America, the political parties are a reflection of the American society due to the primary system. Men and women from various religious and ethnic groups can now participate in party conventions and caucuses and the primary system has been able to offer voters more party choices than the previous years. The openness of the primary system to all individuals has allowed political parties to have great flexibility and to be strong enough to adapt to changes that have been experienced in the political circle over time. Political parties have become unified groups of people which seek to achieve common goals. A decline in voter participation has made it necessary for states to embrace reforms that can make improve the democratic process by having the entire electorate involved in the process of nomination and election. In efforts to promote a democratic process, a US Supreme court ruling in relation to a (California Democratic Party v.Jones) case indicated that a state should not mandate political parties to have their candidates chosen through a blanket primary. Such efforts to introduce reforms in order to make the electoral process more democratic have been promoted by the existence of a primary system. In some states, a mixed caucus system is used. A good example is in Arizona whereby primary elections for the Republican Party are held. The elections are followed by caucuses at a district level. This allows the party to choose delegates to the party national convention. Over the years, the turn out at caucuses for the Democratic Party has been increasing. A candidates influence in the caucuses can be of great advantage to the candidate. For example, Senator Barrack Obamas persuasive energy at the caucuses is considered to have played a major role in his victory against Hillary Clinton. This can be attributed to the fact that in caucuses, the participants are usually more interested in party matters hence they dont require much persuasion that those participating in primary elections.
Weaknesses of the US Primary System
In an open primary, voters from one party can request for a ballot of an opposing party in order to vote in for the weakest candidate. This can be done in order to nominate a weak candidate to vie for an office so that the party candidate that the voter supports wins over the weak candidate. In addition, an open primary allows the voters to defect easily from their stated party of affiliation. Another issue that have been criticized about the US primary system is the great influence that small states such as New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina have in the choice of presidential candidates. These states are small as compared to other states. Since primaries are held early in the small states while larger states have their caucuses or primaries held late in the year, they outcome in states that hold their primaries early have great influence on the presidential candidate nomination. This has attracted various recommendations on how this issue can be addressed. For example, larger states that have their primaries held late in the year are being urged to try and take a front line in the process. This is perceived to be one of the ways through which all states and all citizens will have equal influence in the electoral process.
In spite of the advantages of the front-loading processes, some weaknesses about the process have been pointed out. As earlier mentioned, front loading results from the high level of interest that the public show in primary elections. Because candidates tend to spend a lot of time and resources on electoral campaigns, the front-loading process promotes candidate-centered campaigns throughout the election process. This may divert the attention of the voters from political issues when more focus is directed towards the candidates .Due to the fact that candidates end up spending huge amounts of resources to support primary election campaigns even before campaigns relating to the general elections begin, candidates who are unable to raise adequate funds early in the electoral process may be at a loss. In addition, candidates need to win favor with the media early enough so that they get positive media image through out the season. For candidates who are unable to establish a good network with party members at an early stage, they may lack adequate support during the primary elections. This makes it vital for the candidates to increase public awareness about their policies effectively in order to satisfy the general electorate and the primary voters early in the season.
Due to the long period of time allocated to the primary election process, the election campaigns usually begin a couple of months before the elections are held. This is sometimes a disadvantage for candidates because it is time consuming and expensive .The need to support campaign efforts requires the candidates to spend huge amounts of resources through out the season. Candidates get exhausted due to the many trips they have to make during the campaigns. After intense campaigning in Iowa, Democrat Barrack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee came first in Iowa. Europeans consider the US Presidential primary season to be very costly and time consuming due to such intense campaigns .This is due to the long period of time that the primary season take before the elections are held. The season is characterized by town hall meetings, televised debates and fundraising dinners. In addition, smear campaigns are also experienced. As compared to the national elections in Europe where campaigns and elections take about six weeks, the US primary season is no doubt time consuming and expensive. When the process of primary elections emphasizes on the media image, an oversimplification of the political process is experienced .In such cases, policy issues are overtaken by the campaign events and the candidates. The candidates on the other hand may give more importance to media image instead of the political debate.
The US primary system has failed to give a high degree of consistency and uniformity in voting as compared to election systems in countries such as Australia. For example, during the 2000 presidential elections, there was confusion in relation to ballot papers in the state of Florida. There have been some election problems that are yet to be addressed. The Help America Vote of 2002 Act (HAVA) demands that various states replace election systems that are outdated.However, the city of Tucson and the Pima County in Arizona have been accused of using uncertified software and firm ware in recently held elections. Another problem that has been linked to the shortcomings of the election system has been the delivery and use of high risk of compromise. For example, software which has been provided by the Diebold Election Systems has been criticized for being prone to interference. Election software is usually a trade secret by vendors. Serious weaknesses in the GEMS system that is similar to the one that has been used in Pima County have been pointed out. Some instances have shown that national testing process and state certification process in relation to software used during elections is sometimes ineffective. This has led to the use of poor quality software in election systems. Touch-screen voting systems that have been purchased in Arizona to assist the disabled have failed to provide a means of auditing an election. This is considered to be a violation of state law In Hawaii, votes are transmitted over local area networks (LANs) and telephone lines. This subjects the election system to flipping and hacking .This undermines democratic election of candidates. For instance, an election vendor can put a dial up modem in voting machines that are attached to the telephone lines.Furthermore, since voting machines are considered to be proprietary assets, the law prohibits the inspection of the voting machines due to the protection of the assets based on intellectual property regulations.
The Electoral College was devised in order to be a reflection of Americas federalism and to give power to small states. In addition, the Electoral College was meant to reduce the power of party leaders in elections.However, the Electoral College system has been criticized for overriding the wishes of the majority .For instance, George W.Bush managed to win presidency by garnering a higher number of electoral votes than Al Gore who received the popular vote. This was the second time that an American presidential candidate won the elections through Electoral College votes but lost in the popular vote. In 1888, Benjamin Harrison won victory against President Grover Cleveland in a similar manner. Despite the criticism that has been directed towards the Electoral College system, it has been defended by some who argue that its role in democratic elections is vital. Those who oppose the Electoral College system consider it to be undemocratic. For example, the President of the League of Women Voters, Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins once argued that the electoral college system violates democratic principle of one-man, one vote. The argument that the system is an 18th century system that tries to indicate that the public cannot be wholly trusted has however managed to remain in the primary system. The US primary system can allow a presidential candidate to win by Electoral College votes but fail to win the popular vote .In this case, the candidate who gets the largest number of college electoral votes wins the elections. A good example of such a scenario was during the presidential elections of 2000.Two presidential candidates, Republican George W.Bush and Democrat Al Gore were running for the top seat. Although AlGore received victory by getting the popular vote, George Bush received the highest number of Electoral College votes.Therefore, George W.Bush won the elections while Al Gore who received the popular vote lost. This is considered to be one of the weaknesses of the primary system whereby the choice of the majority voters is overridden by the decision of the leaders who cast the college votes.
The Winner-takes-all system in the Electoral College decides who the winner is. The system can be unrepresentative of the wishes of the voters. For example, a candidate may be able to win in a large portion of a state. The candidate may however fail to receive any Electoral College vote in another state. In addition, the primary system may allow voters to elect candidates other than the winning candidates. For example, in 1992, Bill Clinton managed to win 42 per cent of the popular vote. On the other hand, Ross Perot won 19 per cent and George W.Bush received 38 per cent. Although 57 per cent of the voters failed to vote for Bill Clinton because they were split between George Bush and Ross Perot, Clinton managed to emerge as the overall winner.
In the United States, it is estimated that only 50 per cent of eligible voters participate in elections. This makes it possible for a candidate to win presidency by acquiring only 25 per cent of the potential vote. This is not representative of the wishes of voters. A democratic election requires that the election outcome be representative of the voters wishes and when the system fails to achieve this, it becomes a weakness in the system. Independents and minor parties in America are disadvantaged in the voting system.
For decades, the political party caucuses have been less influential that primary elections. Caucuses are opened to all registered voters .However, experts criticize caucuses arguing that they are dominated by political party activists. In the US, Republican and Democratic parties caucuses are conducted differentlyy.In Democratic Party caucuses, delegates in states are distributed in proportion to the percentage of support that a given candidate receives. When a candidate fails to receive fifteen per cent of the votes, herhis supporters are expected to join the supporters of another candidate.However, many Republican caucuses are winner-take-all. This implies that the party officials make a decision about how many delegates from a preliminary caucus a candidate can have sent to the next step of nomination process. For example, in Iowa, delegates who are chosen at caucuses attend a convention where the delegates to will participate in the state conventions are identified. Delegates to the national convention are chosen at the state convention.Therefore, the number of delegates that a candidate gets is a reflection of the outcome of the first caucuses.However, the results of the first caucuses can be altered when some delegates fail to attend the conventions or caucuses that follow. As compared to a primary election, caucuses are more demanding and time consuming. This locks out some party members from participating in the exercise. About nineteen states in the US hold caucuses for either one or two political parties. This determines the outcome of about ten per cent of Democratic Party delegates and fifteen per cent of Republican delegates. Caucuses are party meetings where the registered party members come together to discuss about their party candidates as well as the selection of delegates who are supposed to represent the party in the conventions. Based on rules that guide the primary process in various states, delegates who are selected through a caucus participate in state and national conventions. Any voter who is registered in a party can participate in a caucus.However, there are a few-eligible voters participating in a caucus because because it is time consuming. This is due to the long hours spent by the party members to discuss political issues. For instance, it is estimated that with the exception of states such as Iowa, the turnout of party membersvoters in caucuses in other states fall below ten per cent of the total number of registered voters. This makes party leaders more influential in caucuses. Due to the commitment and a lot of time required for one to participate in caucuses, many who attend the caucuses tend to be active in political matters and are likely to participate in conventions that follow. In many cases, caucuses only engage the affluent, more educated and strong party members in political debates.
Great attention that is given by the media to some states during the primary process can either become a setback or a boost to the process. For instance, caucuses that are held first in states such as Iowa and New Hampshire often receive great media attention because of the impact of the outcome of the caucuses in American politics .The outcome of the caucuses that are held first are believed to reflect on who is the likely presidential candidate nominee.However, it is important to note that it is not always a guarantee that the winner in first caucuses will be nominated by the party. A good example was during the2008 elections. Democrat Barrack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee managed to win the caucus at Iowa. Initially, Mike Huckabee had not received much media attention until he won the caucus. His success in the state was attributed to his ability to mobilize home-school networks and evangelical churches .He was able to generate a huge turn out at the caucuses but he was defeated by John McCain who won the Republican Party nomination. The media plays a vital role in increasing public awareness about political issues .For participants in primary elections, there is need for candidates to spend, more time and resources to persuade the voters to give them their support. This can be done through the media and phone calls.
Conclusion
The US has a primary system that allows the voters to decide on the candidate who should be nominated by a party to run for elections. The system has been in existence for a long time and has been considered to increase the power of the voters in elections while at the same time reduce the influence of political leaders on the elections. The primary system has its strengths which have contributed to the success of the primary process in the US. However, the system has its weaknesses which need to be addressed so that the shortcomings of the system are addressed. Although the primary elections and primary caucuses have their demerits, they have been significant in the nomination of presidential candidates.
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