Sunday (Open) Politics Thread: Primary Edition [Y-not]

Here's an open thread to talk about politics.

To get you started, the Great Minds in my state of Utah have been screwing around trying to come up with a primary system that we can all agree on. They seem to have failed and instead have come up with something that no one will like.

Under the new framework for SB54, political parties would be able to keep their existing caucus system — where delegates chosen at neighborhood caucuses generally choose nominees at the party conventions — but would also have been required to accept an alternative path to the primary ballot.

That alternative would entail allowing a candidate who gathers enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot. A statewide candidate would need to gather 28,000; a candidate for one of the four congressional districts would need one-fourth that number; a state Senate candidate would need to collect 2,000 signatures; and a House candidate would need 1,000.

The signatures could come from any registered voters.

The parties would also have to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries and allow absentee voting for delegates at the party convention, according to sources familiar with the negotiated bill.

**Meant to provide a link to the full article here.

Awesome.

I know some people like caucuses, but I think they're insane. Moreover, this compromise measure appears to result in open primaries.

Double awesome.

Open thread.

posted by Open Blogger at 08:24 AM

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