EDITORIAL: Super Duper Tuesday
Editorial | 1/15/08
Posted online at 12:21 AM EST on 1/15/08
If ever there was a good time to be a young voter in Massachusetts, that time is now. With the commonwealth's change in primary date and the importance of voters between 17 and 29 in Iowa and New Hampshire, the youth in Massachusetts have more clout than ever before in the nominating process.
For once, it seems that Massachusetts is no longer just a throw-away vote in choosing a president-at least not until the general election-and Brandeis students have the opportunity to take advantage. Importantly, if you have already missed your state's primary or come from a state with less impact on the primary process, you can register to vote in the primary here and still vote in your state for the general election, but remember that because Massachusetts has a closed primary, only those who register as Democrats or Republicans can vote in their respective party's primary.
But, time is running out. In order to vote in this state, voters must register at least 20 days before the primary, meaning the deadline is Wednesday. When Massachusetts' Secretary of State William F. Galvin proposed to move the commonwealth's primary from March 4 to Feb. 5, he did so to become part of the new "de facto national primary day." With 23 other states-including California, New York and New Jersey-voting on that day, "Super Tuesday" has been renamed "Super Duper Tuesday." Massachusetts has been used to voting nearly a month after Super Tuesday and having little effect in the primaries outcome. The change has altered things significantly.
On Feb. 4, only four percent of Democratic delegates and 11 percent of Republican delegates will have been selected. By the end of the next day, the Democrats will increase that number by 55 percent and Republicans by 44 percent. With the selection of more than 3,000 delegates, Super Duper Tuesday will have one of the biggest impacts a primary day has ever had. Unlike in years past, however, when the results from Super Tuesday have often solidified presidential nominations, this year's Feb. 5 primary could mark only the midpoint in what some candidates have taken to calling "a nine-inning game." With no clear favorite in the Republican Party, and a heated competition between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, the primary season may remain open into June.
For once, it seems that Massachusetts is no longer just a throw-away vote in choosing a president-at least not until the general election-and Brandeis students have the opportunity to take advantage. Importantly, if you have already missed your state's primary or come from a state with less impact on the primary process, you can register to vote in the primary here and still vote in your state for the general election, but remember that because Massachusetts has a closed primary, only those who register as Democrats or Republicans can vote in their respective party's primary.
But, time is running out. In order to vote in this state, voters must register at least 20 days before the primary, meaning the deadline is Wednesday. When Massachusetts' Secretary of State William F. Galvin proposed to move the commonwealth's primary from March 4 to Feb. 5, he did so to become part of the new "de facto national primary day." With 23 other states-including California, New York and New Jersey-voting on that day, "Super Tuesday" has been renamed "Super Duper Tuesday." Massachusetts has been used to voting nearly a month after Super Tuesday and having little effect in the primaries outcome. The change has altered things significantly.
On Feb. 4, only four percent of Democratic delegates and 11 percent of Republican delegates will have been selected. By the end of the next day, the Democrats will increase that number by 55 percent and Republicans by 44 percent. With the selection of more than 3,000 delegates, Super Duper Tuesday will have one of the biggest impacts a primary day has ever had. Unlike in years past, however, when the results from Super Tuesday have often solidified presidential nominations, this year's Feb. 5 primary could mark only the midpoint in what some candidates have taken to calling "a nine-inning game." With no clear favorite in the Republican Party, and a heated competition between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, the primary season may remain open into June.
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