Changes coming to Democratic 'primacaucus'?

COMPILED FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Tuesday, July 08, 2008

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Chairman offers options for changing caucuses

The chairman of the Texas Democrats has floated two ideas to a panel studying changes to the party's method of choosing presidential delegates to its national convention.

Before the start of a hearing Monday in Austin, some party activists said the party needs to match states that award delegates to presidential candidates based on voting on primary day, rather than having about 25 percent of delegates picked at nighttime caucuses.

"Caucuses are subject to mob rule," said Frances Morey of Austin, who has supported Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. "And that's what happened" this year.

Sen. Barack Obama gathered more delegates from Texas than Clinton did, thanks to caucus turnouts, though Clinton led in the popular vote in the March primary. Obama is now the presumptive party nominee for president.

Chairman Boyd Richie's first idea: Employ electronic voting at the caucuses, which drew 1 million voters in this year's presidential primary. That could cost about $2 million, Richie said.

Idea two: Shift the caucuses from the night of the primary to another day. Richie suggested holding the primary on a Friday and caucuses the next day.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/08/0708texdigest.html

You can still have caucuses on Saturday. I think it would be easier on the attendees that way.

After observing and participating in this system over a number of years, I am convinced that it should be changed. Fairness demands that delegates be distributed according to the primary vote. Caucuses on the night of the primary should be used only for electing delegates to the district conventions. The delegates to the next level can still be awarded by Presidential sign-in. If we as Democrats really trust and believe in the average voter, then they alone should choose delegates.

Mob Rule? That almost sounds like a great definition of Democracy in action.

The caucus has always been a demonstration of organizational strength. Remember for the most part Texas is, and has for the most part always been, a one-party state first by the Democrats and then the Republicans. Very rarely is there a situation at a local level where the primary is meaningful at the same time for both parties. In areas of Democratic strength such as Travis county, many Republians and Independents tend to maximize their voting options by voting Democratic even though they are likely to not vote that way in the General Election.

It has helped us out tremendously to protect from cross-over voters who are likely to NOT vote for the candidate in the General Election. The only time I've seen it chaotic were the last two elections and then only because of the surfeit of riches where the Democratic Party achieved unprecedented levels of support.