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Rotating Regional Primaries Plan Discussed

(Washington, DC) -- Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, chaired a subcommittee on Presidential Primaries during a special meeting set to discuss the frontloaded 2008 presidential primary calendar and the need for a regional primary system beginning in 2012 or beyond.

Held Nov. 16 in Washington, DC, the Rotating Regional Primaries plan would divide the country into four geographic areas: Eastern, Southern, Midwestern and Western, and the plan would rotate each region to vote first beginning in March. The other regions would hold their primary elections in April, May and June.

"I believe that everyone should have an equal voice when it comes to voting," Rokita said. "In Indiana we don't have enough of a say in choosing nominees for President because the nominations are a done deal by the time our May primary rolls around. This means we don' t have an equal voice, and one way to achieve that equal voice is the proposal presented by NASS."

While a different part of the country would vote first every sixteen years, New Hampshire and Iowa would retain their early status to allow under-funded and less widely known candidates to compete through retail politics rather than the costly media-driven campaigns required in larger states.

"Whatever plan Indiana ultimately adopts has yet to be determined," Rokita said. "The point is Hoosiers want to have the primary moved forward in order to have an equal voice and I agree."

More information about Rotating Regional Primaries can be obtained by visiting www.nass.org <http://www.nass.org>.

In the photo: (L-R) Hon. Trey Grayson (KY), Co-Chair, NASS Subcommittee on Presidential Primaries, Hon. Michael Mauro (IA), Co-Chair, NASS Subcommittee on Presidential Primaries and Todd Rokita, Indiana Secretary of State and NASS President.

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