I am in the "Acela corridor" of voters. My primary is late, April 28. Why?

[CTyankee]

What was the purpose of having our states so late in the primary season? The Google machine didn't help me much.

Can anyone tell me why this is so?

[tblue37]

1. Ours isn't until May 2! nt

[MineralMan]

3. That's not probably a reward for Kansas.

Just saying.

[MineralMan]

2. Good question.

One reason might be that, in a very, very close race, those states would have an opportunity to make the difference. That could be the reasoning behind it. I don't know, though. It would be interesting to talk to the people on whatever DNC committee has the most input into primary scheduling. I don't know who they are, actually.

[tavernier]

4. Yeah, I wish they were all on the same date because it will

skew final numbers by discouraging voters. Not that I think results will be different, but these primaries give us an idea of how voter turnout will be in the GE, I’m quite sure.

[lapfog_1]

8. Having different dates spread apart allows for "retail politics"

meeting with voters in small groups at a diner or someone's house over coffee and cookies.

In a system where everyone votes on one day for the primary, only candidates that are well funded (like Bloomberg) would get to penetrate into the conscious of voters.

That said, the first few primaries should reflect the national electorate better than Iowa and New Hampshire.

[PoliticAverse]

5. You might just as well ask why every state doesn't want to be first. n/t

[George II]

6. It's crazy. The CT party should move it up to March in the future....

....I wonder if they spread them out so the candidates can make more personal appearances?

New Jersey's primary, 126 delegates, isn't until June 2!!

[CTyankee]

14. Oh, that's interesting. I thought NJ had it in April like us.

How little I know.

I really wish I could have had a chance to vote for Elizabeth. It would be the second vote I cast for a woman president...

[George II]

15. Here are all the dates and delegate numbers (and running results to date):

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/democratic_delegate_count.html

[Sloumeau]

7. Each state party membership decides for itself when it will have its

caucus or primary. It if wants a primary, it must coordinate that with the state government.

While there is a tendency for certain states to want to have their state early, because think it makes there state more decisive, some state governments and parties prefer to hang back and allow their state to receive more specialized attention. on March 27, for example, only North Dakota is choosing a President. It means that for a day or more, that state will be the overwhelming political focus.

Personally, I think that all of the states should agree on a flipping or rotating plan, which allows the last to sometimes to go first, and the first to sometimes go last. Unfortunately, there is no way to force Iowa or New Hampshire, for example, to go later in the process.

[empedocles]

12. Given the interests of individual states, like IOWA, merits be damned - January primaries anyone?

[Sloumeau]

13. Maybe we should just assign the states to four groups...

representing air, fire, water, and earth and just have four primaires. What do you think, empedocles?

[GemDigger]

9. Count yourself lucky. I vote in June.

[brooklynite]

10. NY is generally in April...

[JHB]

11. You think you have it bad?

Frikkin' JUNE

[Yavin4]

16. I'm in favor of 4 regional primaries on the same day with early voting...

followed by a national primary of the top two finishers in each region.

[CTyankee]

17. that sounds better.

So everyone would vote on the same day or separate days for each one of the 4?

Maybe have them all in March and the four regions would each be assigned a day in each week.