Political Science 301

Question

1.) Which Republican primary system do you think is better? When the primaries spread out from January to June as in 1976 or the one when most are clustered in March as in 2016? Why?

2.) Evaluate concerns with the electoral process and proposed reforms to address them.



Answer 1

I prefer a more clustered primary calendar, but one that is less dependent on the first few states. When early primaries like Iowa and New Hampshire dominate the narrative—as in both 1976 and 2016—it can distort momentum in a way that doesn’t reflect the nation. A clustered system with more equitable regional rotation would balance early enthusiasm with broader representation, reducing the disproportionate weight of small, unrepresentative states.

Concerns with the U.S. electoral process include unequal access to voting, gerrymandering, the outsized influence of money in politics, and the Electoral College’s distortion of the popular will. Proposed reforms include expanding early and mail-in voting to improve accessibility, implementing independent redistricting commissions to combat gerrymandering, and enacting campaign finance reform to limit special interest influence. I would also advocate for abolishing the Electoral College to ensure more democratic outcomes.