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Happy Tsunami Tuesday!

I’ve heard a lot of talk about today being a national referendum because of the whopping 24 states with primaries held today. But it’s not. The primary season has been going strong for months, and the field of candidates on both sides of the aisle has narrowed considerably since things started. Today is sort of interesting in that every candidate has had to pick and choose their battles; nobody will be winning all of them today. But just like a national referendum, today reemphasizes the importance of money in the political cycle, as TV ads stand in for candidates campaigning halfway across the country.

A recorded Hillary message keeps calling us. It would be one thing if it was an actual person making the call, but when a Hillbot calls up and talks to our answering machine, it makes you wonder…

If her machine is calling our machine and asking for its vote, then are the voting machines with no paper trails or means of accountability really recording human votes, or are they deciding election results by how many phone calls they’ve received from each candidate?

Get out and vote if you’re eligible given your criminal history and party affiliation. Unless you’re voting for Hillary. In which case… Well.

Electoral Reform Starts With The Primaries

Anyone following this year’s primary season can recognize its shortcomings. Front-loading, voting regulations that vary widely from state to state, states not even receiving delegates, political fatigue, the value of campaign contributions, and the rush to judgement as poll numbers change. Popular opinion and voting outcomes are affected as polling numbers are released: this is ass-backwards.

I’ve always been an advocate of electoral reform in all shapes and sizes, and reforming the primary season is a critical first step in reshaping the way in which government officials are elected. By fixing the primary season, we can reduce the importance of campaign contributions, create an informed and motivated electorate, and get politicians who’re worth voting for.

At the 2000 Republican National Convention, the Delaware Plan (one proposed alternative) was cock-blocked by Karl Rove. Today, the similar American Plan garners much interest as being a fair and functional alternative to the current madness. The order in which states vote is random, with smaller states weighted to vote earlier in the season. This allows more candidates more time to be competitive, with a de-emphasis on money and more importance placed on grassroots politicking.

For a longer read, see John Nichols’ piece in the January 22nd issue of The Nation. For more information on the American Plan or other proposed alternatives, see Fix The Primaries, a bipartisan coalition seeking a saner primary season.