Is the Primary System Flawed?

As I sit here in New Hampshire, and my primary vote has long since passed, and I watch the rest of the primaries play out, I am left asking myself if the primary system is flawed.

Every four years the New Hampshire primary comes under attack by other states who try to become first in the nation primary states. When I see my state come under attack for not being diverse enough, or not being representative of the rest of the country, I get defensive. Hey, if anyone is going to bash my state it’s going to be me. I live here, I reserve the right to criticize at will. But when the attacks come from outside, I have always rallied around the idea that New Hampshire should remain the first in the nation primary. In defense of New Hampshire being first, I rationalize it by saying we are a small state with few delegates, in the overall scheme of things New Hampshire’s primary is really just a litmus test of sorts.

I am now beginning to wonder if the primary system is seriously flawed. I am not just saying this because New Hampshire helped to propel the worst possible Republican candidate to the nomination, well, maybe I am, I don’t know. But as I have been surfing through blogs I have seen several people complaining about the primaries, and how their vote doesn’t mean anything.

At first I laughed this off as sour grapes, of course their votes have meaning, but as I started to think about it these people do have a point. In New Hampshire I had the choice between six Republican candidates. I could chose between every candidate who declared they were running for president. I am one of a small minority of people in the country who can claim that.

Does that sound like a fair way to elect a nominee for president?

Since I cast my vote, millions of Americans have headed to the polls unable to vote for their first choice. Millions of Americans have had to vote for their second, third, or even fourth choice for president. I can’t help but start to think that there has to be a better way.

Republican voters now really have no say in the election because John McCain has basically sewn it up, so what is the point for those who oppose him? The only accomplishment they have is knowing that they can cast a protest vote against him. It may make them feel better, but it doesn’t accomplish anything.

I don’t know what the alternative is, perhaps a national primary day wouldn’t be such a bad idea. The only problem I see with a national primary would be if it was held to early, thus creating a general election cycle that was too long. If the national primary was held shortly before the conventions it may work.

I love the drama of the primaries. I love watching the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs. I love watching the candidates gain and lose momentum while they battle for the right to lead the greatest country on earth. But I have to wonder, would I love it so much if the candidate I wanted to vote for dropped out before I ever got a chance to cast my vote for him?

Probably not.