4 Reasons Not to Gamble with the Presidential Primary Process

4 Reasons Not To Gamble With The Presidential Primary Process

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill

Since the DNC vote to place a new caucus between Iowa and New Hampshire, some have asked if the fight to protect our primary is over. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

We stand where we stood before the vote, and where we will always stand — we have a remarkable system that has worked well for decades, and neither national party should be allowed to tinker with it.

And for those who may wonder why we believe that any changes to this system would diminish the influence of citizens across our country, we'd like to offer four reasons why we believe gambling with this proven process would be detrimental to us all.

1. Decades of Experience — Elections Are What We Do

New Hampshire's constitution was written to give more of our citizens a share of the power. We have more offices at the local and state level, per capita, so we have more residents who have run or held office per capita than any other state.

Almost everyone has a family member, neighbor, or friend who has run for office. That translates to more people who know not just what it takes to run and hold an elected position, but how to size up and challenge a candidate on the issues.

"Trying to replicate this 'participatory political culture' that has grown over decades is practically impossible."

Trying to replicate this "participatory political culture" that has grown over decades is practically impossible.

Moreover, any state who thinks that scheduling and conducting an early primary or caucus is no different than what they're used to will find out, the hard way, that it's not as easy as it looks. New Hampshire and Iowa have developed programs over decades to meet the ever increasing demands from the media, campaigns, and voters. With the turmoil that has increasingly come to dominate our presidential campaigns, breaking a system that isn't broke can only make matters worse.

2. Unequaled Voter Participation = Earning Every Vote

"The candidates know that they can't win in New Hampshire by simply courting the big shots."

New Hampshire citizens are so politically engaged that we consistently have at least twice the voter turnout, per capita, of any other state.

The candidates know that they can't win in New Hampshire by simply courting the big shots. They know how many of our citizens turn out on Election Day. If they want our support they have to earn our trust -- not from a tarmac or a TV station, but by going living room to living room... earning one vote at a time.

3. Equal Access For All: In New Hampshire, Anyone Can Grow Up to be President

"... every candidate can afford to have their message heard"

New Hampshire removes the financial barriers that candidates face in larger states, so every candidate can afford to have their message heard.

And unlike many states where you have to have held a certain level of elected office to file as a Presidential candidate, anyone can file to run in the New Hampshire Primary. In many cases we've even waived the filing fee for those who couldn't afford it.

In other words, regardless of where you come from, how well you are known, or what financial resources you have; we offer you an equal chance to make your case to the American people.

4. Front-Loading Favors the “Chosen Few”

In many ways, New Hampshire has been a victim of our own success. With each new election cycle there is another state or states who decide that they should hold their event closer to ours.

To protect our traditional role, and to comply with our state law, we've had to repeatedly move our primary earlier in the year.

"Front-loading the calendar guarantees that lesser-known candidates will never stand a chance — the race will be over before they even get out of the gate."

While it is understandable that they do so to receive the level of attention that we receive, this has led to an increasingly front-loaded calendar that squeezes out all but the richest candidates and the "chosen favorites" of the Party Power Brokers.

Front-loading the calendar guarantees that lesser-known candidates will never stand a chance — the race will be over before they even get out of the gate. By mid-March (or even earlier if the trend continues), so many states will have held their primaries and caucuses that the “front runners” will have secured enough delegates to cut off any real competition.

Adding any event earlier in the process will only make this problem worse. For those who say that New Hampshire is not diverse enough we simply say, there is nothing diverse about a small room full of power brokers deciding who should have a chance to be President.

The Battle Has Just Begun...

"This is an honor we take very seriously, and have no intention of letting this vote for 'power over the people' go unanswered."

And so we end where we began: a battle between the American people and those who believe they know what is best for us.

New Hampshire never asked to be first in the nation, but we have worked for decades with our friends in Iowa to provide a beginning to the presidential election process that we deeply believe benefits our country. This is an honor that we take very seriously, and have no intention of letting this vote for “power over the people” go unanswered.

No presidential candidate, from either party, will be able to cross our borders without being asked to support our tradition, regardless of frivolous penalties proposed by those who have no right to supercede our State law. New Hampshire’s citizen-activists will be watching what the candidates say (both here and at campaign stops across the country), and can be counted on to tell their friends, family, and neighbors who stands with the American people and who does not.

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