Lessons to be drawn from Super Tuesday in Minnesota

(Letter published in Bluff Country Newspaper Group papers, 2/26/2008)

Minnesota made history with record-breaking attendance at political caucuses on Super Tuesday.

Massive turnout provided a burst of energy, hope and excitement to many. But for others, especially first-time caucus attendees, the experience was bewildering.

The caucus system in Minnesota was not designed to run large statewide elections. Caucuses are managed by our political parties to select local leadership, choose convention delegates and discuss party platform positions.

Historically our caucuses were held in March - but our major political parties decided to move the caucus date to "Super Tuesday" so that Minnesotans could participate in the selection of the presidential candidates through a "straw poll." And participate we did!

Last weekend I attended the annual conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State where I heard details from my peers about the workings of their caucus and primary systems.

Maine uses absentee ballots for caucuses, while New Mexico provided a mail-in option that helped military and other overseas voters participate.

Washington State voters passed a ballot measure that requires the Secretary of State to run presidential primaries alongside the normal political party caucuses.

Some states combine the results of their caucuses and primaries to determine the allocation of their presidential delegates.

Political parties everywhere are looking for ways to use the Internet to boost caucus participation, a process already used by Minnesota's Independence Party.

In some states there will be political party caucuses and two primary elections this year - one in the presidential race and the second, later in the year, for local and state races.

While this approach would add about 25 cents per person each year to the cost of elections in Minnesota, it is certainly worth considering to maintain the integrity of both our grassroots political party process and our elections process.

The Minnesota Legislature will consider suggested additions to our current system, including the addition of a presidential primary.

Under any new primary scenario, legislators should ensure adequate funding so that local governments do not bare the costs. If legislators decide to add a presidential primary for 2012, the political parties could decide to use these results in calculating the allocation of their delegates.

However, the citizens could feel confident that they were able to participate in a process that was open to all, conducted fairly and efficiently, and reported accurately and in a timely manner.

If there was a presidential primary in 2012 on Super Tuesday and the parties held caucuses on the same night I can safely predict very high turnout for both.

It is not a problem that more Minnesotans want their voices heard in the political process - it's a blessing.

The energy from Super Tuesday should be used to help identify the strengths and weaknesses in our current system and to find creative solutions to the challenges we face.

The Office of Secretary of State and our partners at the local level who administer the election system are prepared for whatever approach Minnesota's Legislature and political parties choose.

Mark Ritchie
Minnesota Secretary of State