lpara
11-11-2003, 12:24 AM
<span style='font-family:verdana'>Several states move to cancel primaries
* *ASSOCIATED PRESS
* *Several states have moved to drop their presidential primaries next year, worried about costs in tight financial times and wondering if the political exercise would serve any purpose.
* *Some say they can't afford the millions of dollars it costs to hold an election. Others say the decisions reflect the lopsided nature of modern primaries: The front-runner gets anointed by the press and campaign donors after the first few state primaries and the rest of the primaries are formalities.
* *The decisions add fuel to the argument that the primary system is in dire need of repair. In most states forgoing a primary, party-run caucuses will be used instead to choose delegates to the national conventions.
* *"Fewer voters will participate because [caucuses] are more complex," said Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. State politicians are freezing out average voters, he said, because caucuses bring "lower turnout, and more advantage to whoever's organized."
Some Democrats complain that cutting primaries hurts their party (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031109-114400-4808r.htm) http://www.gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin2.gif</span>
* *ASSOCIATED PRESS
* *Several states have moved to drop their presidential primaries next year, worried about costs in tight financial times and wondering if the political exercise would serve any purpose.
* *Some say they can't afford the millions of dollars it costs to hold an election. Others say the decisions reflect the lopsided nature of modern primaries: The front-runner gets anointed by the press and campaign donors after the first few state primaries and the rest of the primaries are formalities.
* *The decisions add fuel to the argument that the primary system is in dire need of repair. In most states forgoing a primary, party-run caucuses will be used instead to choose delegates to the national conventions.
* *"Fewer voters will participate because [caucuses] are more complex," said Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. State politicians are freezing out average voters, he said, because caucuses bring "lower turnout, and more advantage to whoever's organized."
Some Democrats complain that cutting primaries hurts their party (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031109-114400-4808r.htm) http://www.gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin2.gif</span>