LT. GOVERNORS WANT NEW WAY
TO SELECT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

March 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert (801) 538-1041 or
NASS Communications Kay Stimson (202) 624-3528
NLGA Director Julia Hurst (859) 283-1400

Web Produced by Jessica Noll
Adapted by NLGA

The National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) voted unanimously Thursday, March 13, 2008, to endorse adoption of the Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries Plan for 2012 and beyond. The proposal was introduced by Utah Lieutenant Gov. Gary R. Herbert, R, and Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, D.  The plan was originated by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

“We have seen this problem before, and we are seeing it again, states trying to leap to the head of the line,” said Utah Lt. Governor Gary Herbert. 

"This endorsement adds the collective voice of the nation’s lieutenant governors to the call for a fair, logical and orderly process that gives every state and its voters a reasonable opportunity to play a role in the selection of the presidential nominees. The NASS proposal is the best way to achieve these goals with results that are representative of all regions of the country," said NASS President Todd Rokita, Indiana Secretary of State.

The NASS plan would divide the country into geographical regions (East, South, Midwest and West) and spread out the primaries and caucuses over a time period of four months, beginning in March of each cycle. The voting order of the regions would then rotate every four years.  The traditional "lead-off" contests in Iowa and New Hampshire would still come first. 

Herbert did field questions on the plan, including retaining the “carve-out” for Iowa and New Hampshire.  Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry noted, “If this plan is on the table, people have the option to argue what their preference may be.”

“The plan brings opportunity to every region, all states, and all voters, according to a presentation the lieutenant governors received from Lt. Governor Herbert and Secretary Bradbury,” said NLGA Director Julia Hurst.  “The plan also allows better planning for both candidates and those state officials tasked to oversee elections.” 

The NASS Subcommittee on Presidential Primaries, co-chaired by Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro, is leading the effort by secretaries of state to urge state and national political party leaders to adopt a regional primary system in accordance with their party rules.

"I am grateful to the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) for the foresight to endorse a plan that will best address the front-loading problem in our presidential primary calendar," stated Grayson. "In particular, I appreciate Kentucky Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo, who took the time to meet with me on this important issue and whose support helped make this endorsement possible."

The NASS Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries Plan is the only reform proposal with bipartisan support from federal, state, and local elected officials. In addition to today’s National Lieutenant Governors Association endorsement, the Council of State Governments (CSG) has taken a position in support of the plan. The NASS plan was also endorsed by a 2005 blue-ribbon panel, the Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III. U.S. Sens.Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., are chief sponsors of federal legislation that mirrors the NASS plan, the Regional Primaries Act of 2007.

"I am proud to lend my support – and that the NLGA has lent its support – to a plan that addresses this highly important and pressing national issue," said Mongiardo. "The show of bipartisanship and attitude of cooperation that has been displayed in support of this plan demonstrates that individuals of all political affiliations are ready for a change to our current system. I appreciate all the hard work Secretary of State Trey Grayson has put into it."

The RNC Standing Committee on Rules will meet this spring to discuss reform proposals. The DNC has indicated that it will examine its nominating procedures at a later