Update Presidential Primaries

The two most critical requirements for a successful President is that the president be qualified for the job. And that the president can maintain popular support. I cover those item in Presidential Primaries are a Failure. In this  article I lay out a plan for a nationalized non partisan Primary process that produces general election candidates that are both popular and qualified.  It achieves these objectives by instituting a rigorous debate schedule, opportunity for lesser known candidates to gain popularity, and implementing Approval voting.

The first step is to list out each step in the Presidential electoral process and standardize those steps across all states.  The steps are to 1) get signatures to get on the ballot in each state; 2) Start the debates; 3) start the primary elections; 4) repeat 2 and 3 until all states have voted.  There are also some rules. Only private individual donations not to exceed $1,000 per calendar year starting from the calendar year after last general election. Private donations during the primaries of the election year for electoral college viable candidates is limited to $100 per month per state voting in the following calendar month . Electoral College viable candidates will be provided with television access and public rallies in the states that have a primary within the next 2 weeks. Debates can only have between 3 and 5 candidates on the stage and are always non partisan. Each state has their own single non-partisan ballot.

Primary Calendar

• January 1 after the previous presidential election day until January 1 of the current election cycle potential candidates may collect from individuals up to $1,000 per year per individual. Corporations, PACS, Labor Union, Political Parties and any other organization may not provide any funds to a potential candidate.
• After November 30  of the year previous to the election potential candidates can begin gathering signatures for ballot access in individual states. The requirement should be 10% of the population that is eligible to vote, and at least half the counties must also exceed 10% of their population of eligible voters.
• After January 1 of the election year, candidates can begin declaring their candidacy and start to submit signatures for verification. Any candidate that can mathematically win the Electoral College is an Electoral Viable candidate and are automatically in the next debate.  Any candidates that have ballot access in the states that are in the next primary are also automatically in any debate.
• The first Tuesday after Feb 1, the first set of debates are held. Candidates who got ballot access earliest in the first primary states are in the first debate that will also have the least number debaters (no less than 3). Tie breakers are based on the most mathematically possible electoral votes, followed by coin toss.
• One week after each debate will be the Primary elections. The first one will have only 2 states followed by 9 and then 11. Next will be all “other” voting areas such as territories and expats. The second half of the Primaries will have 11 sates, then 9, and last of all 8 states. After each set of Primaries there is another debate in two weeks.
  • States get to choose which available dates they hold their election. The pecking order of picking a slot is based on states that have a higher percentage of eligible voters that voted in the last presidential election. The tie breaker is the last mid-term election.
  • Once voting commences any candidate that finishes in the bottom 50% of total voters and is not on the ballot in any state in the next Primaries will not be eligible to participate in the next debate.
• Approval voting in the General election requires that there be a winner who is selected by more than 50% of the voters in each state.
• Parties can name their nominees at any time they choose, but that will not assure their choice a place on any ballot.
• Any Primary election or the General Election should allow write-ins.
• Candidates can only be on a state ballot in the General Election where they had obtained  enough signatures. August 31 is the last day candidates can apply to be added to the state ballot. September 30 is the last day they can ask to have their name removed

Caveat:  Every bullet point is for discussion serves as starting point to democratize elections creating disincentives to diminish voter participation, open a series of multiple debates that do not require all the participants to take a pledge to support the winner.