Senate Hearing on Regional Presidential Primary Bill

The following press release arrived via email:

Senate Rules Committee Schedules Hearing on Legislation to Reform Presidential Primary Process
- Hearing scheduled for September 19 at 9:30 a.m. -
Washington, DC -- The U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, September 19, at 9:30 a.m., to examine S.1905, legislation introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to reform the presidential primary process by creating a rotating regional primary system.

The hearing will be chaired by Rules Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

Date: Wednesday, September 19
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: The Senate Rules and Administration Committee Hearing Room
301 Russell Senate Office Building

The following witnesses will testify at the hearing:
Senator Klobuchar;
Senator Alexander;
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.);
Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro, Co-Chairmen, Elections Subcommittee on Presidential Primaries, National Association of Secretaries of State;
Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, Co-Chairmen, Elections Subcommittee on Presidential Primaries, National Association of Secretaries of State;
Richard L. Hasen, Professor, William H. Hannon Distinguished Professor of Law, Loyola Law School; and
William G. Mayer, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Northeastern University

Bill Summary
The Regional Presidential Primary and Caucus Act of 2007 would:
Create a region-by-region system in which states in the West, Midwest, South and East would take turns hosting the first round of primaries and caucuses.

Starting in 2012, the first region would be chosen by lottery and the primaries and caucuses would begin on the first Tuesday in March, and continue on the first Tuesday in April, May and June, at which time all regions will have chosen candidates for the party conventions. In the following presidential-election year, a different region would vote in the first round.

All regions would rotate through the first-round position once every 16 years.

Iowa and New Hampshire would not participate in the regional rotation, and would retain their positions of holding the first-in-the-nation caucus and primary.

The legislation is sponsored by Senators Klobuchar, Alexander, Lieberman, Feinstein, and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas).

You can watch a webcast of the testimony here. My testimony will concern the constitutionality of the bill.

Posted by Rick Hasen at September 16, 2007 01:37 PM