… Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), like most other electoral reformers, has strongly favored majority rules for most of his career. He advocated such systems as mayor of Burlington, Vt. , in Congress, and now, as a presidential candidate. Sanders argues it is unfair to let a candidate win who might […] Read more »
To fix the primaries, bring back peer review
In the four years after the 1968 Democratic convention, the nominating power in both parties shifted from elected officials and party leaders to primary voters. For many years the effect of this change was limited, as each party continued to nominate candidates who would have been plausible under the old […] Read more »
What is a brokered convention? What is a contested convention?
A crowded Democratic field has primary voters and observers asking an important question: What happens if we reach the convention and no candidate has amassed a majority of delegates? CONT. Elaine Kamarck, Brookings Institution Read more »
Bernie Sanders Wins Nevada — Putting Him In The Driver’s Seat To Win The Nomination
Bernie Sanders has won the Nevada caucuses, and it looks like he’s going to win them by a big, perhaps even landslide margin. … This was a big, impressive win for Sanders, and it should be even clearer now that Sanders is easily the most likely Democrat to win the […] Read more »
Democrats are on a perilous course as they seek a nominee to challenge Trump
In their quest to find a challenger to oppose President Trump, Democrats are on a perilous course. Less than a month into the primary-caucus calendar, they risk an acrimonious split in their ranks and the threat of a contested national convention that together could sink their hopes of winning in […] Read more »
The State of the Democratic Primary Process
As the process for selecting a nominee for president gets underway, Democratic voters are generally positive about their top candidates for president. But they are only moderately confident that the Democratic Party’s nomination process is fair. … Voters in both parties are generally in agreement on the traits that make […] Read more »