Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues

Kevin J. Coleman
Analyst in Elections

After a period of uncertainty over the presidential nominating calendar for 2012, the early states again settled on January dates for primaries and caucuses. Iowa held its caucuses on January 3 and New Hampshire will hold its primary on January 10. These two states, along with South Carolina and Nevada, are exempt from national party rules that do not permit delegate selection contests prior to the first Tuesday in March. Officials in Florida announced that the state would hold a January 31, 2012, primary, in violation of party rules, which prompted South Carolina and Nevada to schedule unsanctioned events as well. South Carolina scheduled its primary on January 21; Nevada Republicans originally scheduled party caucuses for January 14, but changed the date to February 4. States that violate the rules risk losing half their delegates.

Every four years, the presidential nominating process generates complaints and proposed modifications, often directed at the seemingly haphazard and fast-paced calendar of primaries and caucuses. The rapid pace of primaries and caucuses that characterized the 2000 and 2004 cycles continued in 2008, despite national party efforts to reverse the phenomenon known as frontloading.

The Democratic Party approved changes to its calendar rules in July 2006, when the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee extended an exemption to Nevada and South Carolina (Iowa and New Hampshire were previously exempted) from the designated period for holding delegate selection events; and the committee proposed sanctions for any violations. With the exception of these four states, Democratic party delegate selection rules dictate that the first determining step in choosing national convention delegates could not begin until February 5, 2008. The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) stripped Florida of its national convention delegates on August 25, 2007, because the legislature scheduled the 2008 presidential primary for January 29, a date that conflicted with party rules. Michigan Democrats also forfeited their national convention delegates by scheduling a January 15 primary. In the end, the DNC decided on May 31, 2008, to seat full delegations for each state with a half vote for each of the delegates, thereby reducing each delegation’s vote by 50% at the convention. On the day before the convention, the Credentials Committee restored full voting rights for both state delegations.

For the 2012 election, the two national parties agreed to a calendar format that would limit most state contests to the period after the first Tuesday in March, with exceptions for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. The cooperation to reduce front-loading was unprecedented and resulted in fewer early events and a more even distribution of contests thereafter.

Front-loading is only the most recent among a list of complaints about the nominating system, which has resisted wholesale change despite criticism every four years from voters, the candidates, and the press. After several decades of debate, observers are divided on the best approach to reform. The lack of consensus for reworking the primary system is due partly to its complex design, which frustrates pursuit of a simple, obvious solution, and partly to the political parties pursuing their own variable interests on their delegate selection rules. The states further complicate the process by independently scheduling primary election dates. Congress, political commentators, academics, and others have offered various reform proposals over the years, but many important dimensions of reform depend on whether the parties are willing to change the system for choosing delegates to their national conventions. No bills have been introduced in the 112th Congress to revise the nominating process.


Date of Report: January 5, 2012
Number of Pages: 15
Order Number: RL34222
Price: $29.95

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