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

[Dwight Holmes]

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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