Fact Sheet 2008:  NASS Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries Plan * FAQ * Report:  The Case for Regional Presidential Primaries in 2012 and Beyond (February 2008) 2008 Presidential Primary & Caucus Information

NASS was one of the first organizations in the country to call for reforming the presidential nominating system. Adopted in 1999 after four years of debate and deliberations, the NASS Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries Plan aims to address problems related to the front-loaded nominating calendar by establishing a reasonable, logical and fair system that gives every state the chance to play a role.  NASS members hope to bring about its adoption in 2012, thereby giving states time to implement the new system by 2012.

Overview of the NASS Rotating, Regional Presidential Primaries Plan

Under the NASS plan, party primaries/caucuses would be grouped by region beginning in 2016.

• A lottery would be held to determine which region would begin the sequence the first year of the plan. The next presidential election year, the region that held the first position would move to the end of the sequence, and the other regions would move forward.
  
• Iowa and New Hampshire would retain their leading positions in the presidential selection process based upon their tradition of encouraging retail politics.
  
• Primaries/caucuses in each state of a given region would be scheduled on or soon after the first Tuesday in March, April, May or June of presidential election years.

Regional Groupings Under the NASS Plan

East: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

South: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Guam.

Model Presidential Primary Legislation
Approved Feb. 12, 1999/Amended July 2, 2000/Reaffirmed July 27, 2003/Amended Feb. 15, 2004/Reaffirmed Feb. 9, 2009

Section 1: Findings and Declaration

The people of the state of __________________ acting through their elected legislative representation find and declare that:

The quadrennial election of the President and the Vice President of the United States is among the most important civic acts of the voters of the state of ____________________.

b. The Process leading to the nomination of candidates for President and Vice President of the United States should be as open and participatory as possible.

It will enhance voter participation, strengthen the political process and protect the rights of all states and their citizens to have a coordinated, orderly and defined electoral schedule.

The State of _______________ will participate in a rotating regional presidential primary/caucus system as defined herein. Understanding the historically important role that smaller states have played in the presidential election process in terms of retail politics, the states of New Hampshire and Iowa shall be allowed to conduct their primary election or caucus prior to the commencement of the rotation schedule.

Section 2: Definition

"Presidential primary/caucus" is the official primary/caucus election conducted or sanctioned by the state of _______________ held in any year that is evenly divisible by the number four at which delegations to national party conventions are to be chosen.

Section 3: State Pledge 

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the state of ___________________, consistent with its decision to affiliate with Region __________, as defined by the National Association of Secretaries of State, shall hold its presidential primary/caucus not sooner than the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, April, May and June of ____, but in no case later than six (6) days after said Monday in the order defined below in Section 4; and shall rotate in subsequent presidential election years as specified in Section 5.

Section 4: Regional Affiliations

For the purposes of presidential primaries/caucuses, the states should be grouped as follows:

Eastern Region (1)
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Southern Region (2)
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Midwestern Region (3)
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Western Region (4)
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Guam.

A lottery will be held to determine which Region will begin the sequence of presidential primaries/caucuses in March _____. The other regions will follow in numerical order in April, May and June. In subsequent cycles, the first region to hold its primaries/caucuses shall move to the end and all other regions in the sequence shall move up accordingly.

Section 5: Rotation of the Date of the Presidential Primary/Caucus

In the presidential primary/caucus elections subsequent to the year ____, the date of the election shall be the first Tuesday of the month preceding the month of the most recent presidential primary/caucus election, except that if the most recent election was conducted on the first Tuesday of March the date of the election shall be the first Tuesday of June.