Change the Current Presidential Primary System to have the Most Qualified Candidates

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Have only 5 to 7 primaries, start with states with the "fewest" to the "most" electoral votes. No caucuses, just primaries.

The current primary system is set up where just a few states have too much influence in the early primaries. By letting 8 states in very different geographic and demographic parts of the country with only a "few" electoral votes go first in the primaries you can narrow the field, but still have plenty of viable candidates remaining. The next primary narrows the field more, etc... until a clear leader emerges.

That makes the states with a "few" electoral votes significant in the beginning to narrow the field. In a close primary, states with the "most" electoral votes Florida, New York, Texas and California can become significant at the end and all four represent very different geographic/demographic areas of the country.


1st primary 8 states (24): Alaska (3), Delaware (3), District of Columbia (3), Montana (3), North Dakota (3), South Dakota (3), Vermont (3) and Wyoming (3).
Total = 24

2nd primary 8 states (35): Hawaii (4), Idaho (4), Maine (4), New Hampshire (4), Rhode Island (4) Nebraska (5), New Mexico (5) and West Virginia (5).
Total = 59

3rd primary 9 states (57): Arkansas (6), Iowa (6), Kansas (6), Mississippi (6), Nevada (6), Utah (6), Connecticut (7), Oklahoma (7) and Oregon (7).
Total = 116

4th primary 9 states (83): Kentucky (8), Louisiana (8), Alabama (9), Colorado (9), South Carolina (9), Maryland (10), Minnesota (10), Missouri (10) and Wisconsin (10).
Total = 199

5th primary 8 states (98): Arizona (11), Indiana (11), Massachusetts (11), Tennessee (11), Washington (12), Virginia (13), New Jersey (14) and North Carolina (15).
Total = 297

6th primary 5 states (90): Georgia (16), Michigan (16), Ohio (18), Illinois (20) and Pennsylvania (20).
Total = 387

7th primary 4 states (151): Florida (29), New York (29), Texas (38) and California (55).
Total = 538

In case of a tie, which is highly unlikely or no one has the necessary 270, use the popular vote. If the popular vote is not used, it goes to a brokered convention and the delegates chosen becomes significant.


The total above equals the 538 electoral votes, but the number of voting delegates to the conventions can be a multiple. A multiple of x10 would be 5,380 voting delegates, i.e., Alaska with 3 electoral votes would have 30 voting delegates at the convention. The multiple can be smaller (x5) or larger (x12) dependent on how many delegates are needed for the convention.

States still decide how to divide up their delegates, i.e., winner take all, top 2 or 3 candidates, all candidates who receive at least a certain percentage (25%), etc... however the states decides.

Voting delegates have to vote for their states winner(s), however the state divided them up on the first vote at the convention. After the first vote they can vote for any candidate, per the rules or instructions for their state.

States get to decide who is eligible to be a delegate, party members, congressmen, etc... Voting delegates are important if there is no clear winner when the primaries are over because after they cast their first vote at the convention, there will be a brokered convention.

States should wait until after the 5th primary, before holding state conventions to select delegates. All delegates are selected by the states, i.e., no super delegates (Democrats), no unbound delegates (Republicans) and no delegates selected by the national political party. The states decide who represents them.


No debates until after the first 2 primaries, i.e., after the 2nd primary and before the 3rd primary. So we don't have 15 candidates trying to debate. Don't let the media select the candidates who debate.

After the 2nd primary select the top 8 candidates by electoral votes. This should be no more than 8 candidates for the 1st debate. You can have the bottom 4 debate, followed by a debate with the top 4. 

Before the 1st debate, which should be after the 2nd primary, candidates should be required to release their last 2 tax returns or they don't get in any of the debates at all. They should also release their medical history.

After the 3rd primary select the top 6 candidates by electoral votes to debate. You can have them all debate at once or the bottom 3 debate, followed by a debate with the top 3.

After the 4th primary select the top 4 candidates by electoral votes. This should give you 4 candidates for the 5th debate, but consideration should be given to any candidate with a mathematical chance of still winning the primary.

After the 5th primary select the top 3 candidates by electoral votes. This should give you 3 candidates for the 6th debate, but consideration should be given to any candidate with a mathematical chance of still winning the primary.

After the 6th primary select the top 2 candidates by electoral votes. This should give you 2 candidates for the last debate, but consideration should be given to any candidate with a mathematical chance of still winning the primary.

Mail-In Ballots/Early Voting/Online Voting:

Have mail-in ballots/early voting for 21 days, starting 4 weeks before the primary and closing a week before the primary.

Start thinking about online voting. If voters can pay income tax, register for social security, get health insurance from the marketplace,... online with the federal government, they should be able to vote online.

It's the state's job to purge their voter registration. SCOTUS has ruled that states can purge voter registration of deceased voters or voters who have moved out of state. There should be no excuse for a deceased voter still being on the voter registration and voting from the grave. That's not fraud, it's incompetence on the states part. The state probably issues a death certificate, insurance companies pay policies, news papers make announcements, funeral homes/cemeteries bury someone,... There has to be a way to prove someone has moved out of state. The driver's license renewed in another state, fed/state income taxes paid in another state, mail forwarded out of state (have the post office return official state mail),... Anyone with a drivers license should be able to vote. Sign up everyone their senior year in high school.

Primaries and Caucuses: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

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