The Selection vs Election Process

[Peacetrain]

There have been a number of threads addressing The Selection Process, or how we pick our canidate to run in the General Election in November.

Caucus vs primaries, and the question of the secret ballot is in full bloom again. The primary season is NOT the general election season. It is the time of selection.


In the selection process prior to the sixties, we were given who the party big wigs and convention delegates gave us.

But the last 40 years we have opened up that selection process.

In some states of course you have a primary venue to participate in that selection process, and in others you have a caucus and still others have a blend.

Caucuses work very well for many states, and it is a time of state party buisness also, giving the individual voter a chance to participate in major decision processes that impact that state platforms.

Some states favor the primary vote, where you go in and pull the lever much like the general election and leave. Of course the individual voter does not get to participate in state decision making, but because of population size in different states, it is probably a better choice for them.

Some of the arguments have been that caucuses goers cannot spend that amount of time needed for state buisness. Again, you make your choice in the caucus and you can leave if you want, but you do have the opportunity to impact those state platforms if you choose to stay.

Some arguments against the primary voting selection process, is that it can be manipulated (ie operation chaos) by people wanting to influence our selection process.

No one system can be perfect. The individual states pick what works best for them.

[FrenchieCat]

1. I agree that Caucuses is a better approach in some states.......

and part of why we now have an awesome 50 state strategy.

[Peacetrain]

2. I absolutely love the 50 state strategy.

The days of focusing on 7 states I think is finally behind us.