That means, first, abolishing caucuses and using only primaries to pick convention delegates. (One exception can be made for the iconic Iowa caucuses.) The selection of a president should not be limited to those voters able to attend a caucus that may be inconvenient and lengthy, and that does not permit absentee or early voting. Caucuses lack the transparency of primaries, intimidate inexperienced voters and discriminate against voters of limited means, who should not have more barriers put in the way of their participation.
They also are an affront to the idea of one person, one vote. On March 5, 2016, just 39,000 caucus-goers in Kansas got to allocate 33 convention delegates; three days later, it took 221,000 voters in Mississippi to pick 36 delegates. Every 1,200 Kansas caucus-goers were represented by one delegate; it took 6,800 Mississippians to have the same sway. Why? Why did 230,000 caucus-goers in Washington state get to elect 101 delegates — while 846,000 Maryland primary voters picked 95?
Second, Democratic presidential primaries should not be limited to Democrats only. Independent voters not affiliated with any party should be allowed to vote; only members of other political parties should be barred (allowing Republicans to vote in the Democratic primaries could give rise to great mischief). About half of the primaries and caucuses held by Democrats in 2016 were “closed,” meaning only registered Democrats could participate. What kind of message is sent to independents about Democrats’ desire for their support in the fall by a nomination process displaying a “not welcome” sign in the spring?…
Finally, it is time for the “superdelegates” to lose their convention votes.
I’ve long called for both parties to kill the caucuses.