Top Republicans are calling for a review of the methods used in presidential caucuses after a series of vote-counting mishaps in three early states.
Maine on Tuesday became the latest state to fall victim to the caucus bug, with the Bangor Daily News noting that the state GOP declared Mitt Romney the winner of a close race without many localities’ votes being included in the totals.
It was just the latest problem in what has been a very rough year for the caucus format.
Earlier this year, Romney was declared the winner of the Iowa GOP caucuses by eight votes after results from one precinct were lost until the next morning. Then the party said more votes were missing and that the true winner of its caucuses would never be known. Finally, two days later, it declared Rick Santorum the winner.
And in Nevada, a smattering of problems with its caucuses has left the state GOP searching for answers.
All of this has some suggesting that caucuses may not be an effective option going forward. Mostly, though, Republicans think it’s time to revisit how caucuses are run.
“Caucuses are still a viable option, but the operators need to understand that the results are going to generate a lot of publicity and that they have significance beyond the state line,” said David Norcross, a former Republican National Committee general counsel. “They need to set the rules and have a representative of each candidate informed and on hand for the count.”
Caucuses are inherently less organized than primaries, in large part because they are run by state parties and don’t have experienced state elections officials in charge.
Because of this, methods may not be the same at every caucus site, and the paper trail isn’t as reliable.
At the same time, party rules have effectively increased the importance of caucuses by pushing them to the front of the process. The RNC allows only four states to hold their contests before March, but that rule doesn’t apply to caucuses.
The result: Minnesota, Colorado and Maine have held February caucuses without paying a penalty.
“The problems encountered in two or three caucuses does not call out for abolition of caucuses, but for better methods of implementing caucuses,” said Republican National Committeeman John Ryder of Tennessee. “And I say this as someone who favors primaries — at least for my own state.”
This is a great example of why these folks can’t get anything done for us. They don’t care about us to begin with. In Maine one would have to be pretty darn dimwitted if they can’t figure out what the problem was with how our caucuses were handled. Let me “Look Deeply” into this and spell it out for you.
C R A Z Y C H A R L Y W E B S T E R.
A the end of the tether you will find Karl Rove’s DNA. Karl is pure poison for the Republican party with his hands and ill advice all over Bush’s demise and has made a mess of this once promising election .. which has now turned sour.
Charlie is without a doubt crazy. http://bit.ly/x5VOE1 This interview is all you need for proof.
The GOP is taking a deep look at itself falling to peices as it continues to cater to a minority faction of neocons and their wealthy cronies who are hell bent on retaining the status quo and keeping the easy money rolling in as long as they can.
We need to go to a primary vote. The fiasco that we just experienced should be enough of a reason to do away with the current system.
I agree and add both parties on the same day !
I agree. This makes us look like the boneheads in Broward County, FL.
The Caucus system has many benefits including the biggest of bringing people into the party.
At Caucuses I have personally met and talked to Margaret Chase Smith, Bill Cohen, Olympia Snowe, and many past presidential candidates including George H.W. Bush.
When Caucuses are done right, they are the closest thing we have to Democracy short of some town meetings.
Throwing the baby out with the bath water is not a sane choice.
If Caucuses are so great why do so few people attend them compared to primary votes?
I am and have always been a Republican. I have voted in every actual election, primary and otherwise, held since I have been able to vote. I will not however take part in these silly meaningless polls and not giving me the chance to actually vote on who I want to represent me in the Presidential elections is wrong!
Caucuses do nothing more than pander to the political insiders of the parties while disenfranchising those of us who want our voices heard.
The way the party is doing things is the reason there is a tea party movement and if you keep doing things this way it is the reason you will see us all leave you.
You answered your own question. Caucuses require some work and study, Primaries you can just dash in, vote, and dash out.
Systems (for good or evil) are changed from the inside.
We have been trying to change it from the inside but I think you’ve probably seen by now that many republicans aren’t getting the message.
They get dressed like all the rest of us….
One baby that needs to be thrown out is Charlie Webster. He has no credibility left. At least with a primary at the polls we stand a chance of our votes being counted. We wouldn’t have to drive 40 or so miles to go to a caucus. As far as meeting big name politicians in Washington County? I’ll leave that alone.
Can’t. Too much voter fraud. (Not serious)
Hmmmm… Maybe there is a “Tea Party” infection???
The GOP problem isn’t whether to caucus or not, it’s much, much deeper than that. People have grown weary of the BS:
poor leadership, divisive rhetoric, racist undertones, trickle down myths, signing pledges not to tax the wealthy, assaulting the poor and weak, blaming the middle class, placing profits over safety and security….that’s just off the top of my head.
Self-examination has never been the GOP’s strong suit.
I wonder if things would go more smoothly if there weren’t so many crooked guys running the show?
What’s Senators’ Snowe, Collins, Governor LePage’s position on rather the whole republican party or a few get to call their caucuses is a real choice or just an exercise (dry-run) to get out the vote. Charlie Webster has been screaming about voter fraud for some time now — guess we see how he knew about it.
But, I am surprised by the silence on the issue by our highest elected officials. The banner headlines should be; REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES ARE A FRAUD
They all have their fingers inserted into their ears, and singing “la ..la…la …. I can’t HEAR you!”
A “caucus mishap”?? Geez since 1820 our party’s means of selecting nominees has never been questioned, and now, I bet, the Republicans are going to start yelling for “we need primary’s!”
You can argue that one can be manipulated, and one is more of a vote and scoot, but there has never been a problem until now. Primary’s mean that a candidate has to spend more money; a caucus is much more democratic.
There has, in my memory, only one person that has tried to screw with the spirit and independence of the Maine election processes, and that person is Charlie Webster. Yes there have been balloting instances, but they were handled appropriately. What does that mean?, it means that our process works.