[RP TownTalk] What a weird primary system this is!

[Marc Molino]

I second your thoughts there, Dwight. I was looking at the sample ballot over the weekend and was wondering if they could make it any more confusing. And I'm sure by law they must have a vote for the judges, but they are all running unopposed, so presumably they are all elected regardless of the votes, yes? Or is this just the Democratic ballot I was seeing regarding judges?

I still don't understand how "super delegates" hold any value for the public...

-marc
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> Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:32:13 -0500
> From: dwightrholmes at gmail.com
> To: towntalk at riverdale-park.org; HOPE_in_Hyattsville at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [RP TownTalk] What a weird primary system this is!
> 
> Looking at my sample Democratic Party ballot for tomorrow for the
> Maryland primary, this is a very strange primary system we have
> indeed.  It's not like this everywhere, of that I'm sure. (I have no
> idea if any of this applies to the Republican balloting or not).
> 
> If you're registered as a Democrat and in Congressional District 5
> (Hoyer's district) your ballot looks like this:
> http://mdelections.umbc.edu/voter_registration/v2/primary_2008/Prince%20Georges/BS1.pdf
> 
> If not, you can find your ballot here:
> http://mdelections.umbc.edu/voter_registration/v2/vote_prod.php
> 
> Tomorrow I will vote quite separately for my presidential candidate of
> choice and the delegates.  So will every other registered Democrat in
> Maryland.  If I were *really* unable to decide between Clinton and
> Obama, then I could (for example) vote for Clinton on the top of the
> ballot, but then vote for Obama delegates at the bottom!  But of
> course the Clinton vote is cosmetic, and only my votes for Obama
> delegates really means anything! The only thing that's important about
> your vote for the candidate is that they each must get 15% of the vote
> total, or they won't earn any delegates whatsoever.
> 
> Of course, my fear is that some (however many it is, it's too many)
> voters will go in not having studied the sample ballot, see the list
> of candidates at the top, make their choice (Clinton, Obama, Edwards,
> Biden, Dodd, Uncommitted, and more – they're all on there), then see
> that the next section has to do with judges (why we vote for judges,
> about whom fewer than 1/10 of 1% of us know anything at all, is beyond
> me), stop reading and say "I'm done." Then they'll finish their vote
> and leave, without having made the choice that counts: Delegates.
> Let's hope not, but isn't this a legitimate concern?
> 
> (By the way, it's not like this in every state. For certain I know
> that in California, the ballot choice only involves the candidates
> themselves; selection of delegates is made in local caucuses of some
> kind).
> 
> So, in sum -- Vote early, vote often, and be sure to vote for your the
> delegates who are committed to your candidate!! :-)
> 
> -- 
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