Spending a significant time outside of the US gives one an interesting perspective on US news and politics. Watching clips and seeing pictures from the Republican Primary debates from afar has been fascinating, as I am not engaged in any day to day conversation about the elections in the way I have been in every election in the past. This morning, when I saw the picture of the four remaining candidates headlining The Drudge Report, I was struck by the fact that a couple of months ago there were eight or nine candidates on the stage and now it is down to four.
The US primary election system is intensely flawed, and highly undemocratic. Essentially, the voters determine very little in the selection of nominees. Fundraising, ‘momentum,’ press coverage, etc., are much more influential in primaries than in general elections. General elections tend to be almost fair. But when there are fields of seven, eight, or nine candidates, the media has extraordinary influence in who the public gets to know. Moreover, early states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina more or less make the ultimate decision.
I have long been a proponent of utilizing the Condorcet Method for elections, but do not foresee any kind of widespread adoption of it in the near future due to the fact that although it is not complicated in and of itself, it is a bit difficult to describe in a simple way.
It strikes me, though, that there is another way. With Presidential elections now starting almost two full years in advance, we might as well embrace that fact and use it for good. Debates should start being organized eighteen months from the date of the general election, and declared candidates should participate in many different formats—town hall, Lincoln-Douglas, round-table, etc. Then, rather than having Iowa and New Hampshire vote, there should be a national elimination vote by the registered voters of the party. No more than four candidates standing by the end of January. Then, in March, two, and by the end of May a final vote to select the nominee.
With ever-improved internet security, such an idea is not so far-fetched, but there is no doubt the media and the early primary states will strongly oppose any kind of changes to the system. American democracy needs an upgrade, though, or the people are going to lose faith in it—if they haven’t already.
