Gerald Skoning Published in Crain's Chicago Business "How about a presidential primary lottery?"
03/22/2007
The March 19, 2007 issue of Crain's Chicago Business includes an opinion editorial by Gerald entitled "How about a presidential primary lottery?" in which he writes: "The jockeying for position in the presidential primary sweepstakes has already started. Illinois is one of four states considering moving up its primaries to early February of next year to seize a more important role in the process. Earlier primaries have a greater impact on the selection process than those lumped into the Super Tuesday stampedes, with multiple state primaries crammed into a single day, or late primaries that have zero impact on the selection process. We in Illinois have suffered the indignity of being virtually irrelevant in the primary process over several presidential elections. Of course, while the political stakes are huge, the financial stakes are considerable as well. New Hampshire officials estimate their first-in-the-nation primary will mean $264 million in economic benefits from media and campaign visits. It seems hardly fair that the same states lead the primary parade year after year. Maybe we should have a national lottery to determine when state primaries will be conducted. The lottery would be conducted like many state gambling lotteries, as a televised event, but on a national stage, with coverage by all the major networks and cable news programs. The lottery drawing would be held live on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., before a national TV audience. The master of ceremonies would be either the chief justice of the Supreme Court, or perhaps, to enhance the entertainment value, Regis Philbin or Pat Sajak. The format for the lottery would be 50 pingpong balls (one for each state) in a large drum, rolling out one at a time. To boost the drama and maintain interest, the first pingpong ball selected would become the 50th and last primary, and so on, until the state authorized to conduct the first primary of the season would be determined by the last ball selected. It isn't perfect, but it is simple, and it would avoid a silly scramble for first place that could ultimately result in presidential primaries being held before Thanksgiving. And, with a little luck, states like South Dakota and Delaware might find their way into the national political spotlight — with all attendant impact on the selection of candidates and the economic windfall. And who knows? Even Illinoisans ultimately might have a meaningful voice in the selection of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, instead of being relegated to the irrelevance and indignity of voting long after the nominations have been locked up."
