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Presidential primaries are a system as deeply imbedded in our nation's political framework as any part of American society. Yet as entrenched and as habitual as our practices often are, there comes a time when we must dare to challenge the status quo, when we must examine our habits and weigh them on the scale of justice. That time came when Lincoln dared to free the slaves, and that time came when King dared to challenge segregation. Today, that time comes because we must dare to reform our most fundamental institution: that which shapes the very beating of our democratic heart.

Primaries are organized and directed not by certain representatives of the people, but rather by two ruling oligarchies of high Democratic and Republican party officials. They determine how we vote, when we vote, and who we can vote for. This election cycle, when several oft-ignored states including Florida and Michigan dared to give the people of their states an earlier and more meaningful say in who becomes president, both the Democratic and Republican Parties voted to halve or eliminate altogether the voice of those people. Even those states that are not suppressed by party rules can have their voice overridden by top party officials known as super-delegates. This very election cycle, after the refreshingly enthusiastic primary between Senators Clinton and Obama, it may ironically be party superdelegates and not the people who make the final decision.

Moreover, why should voters not be given the full spectrum of candidates from both parties? In fact, University of Maryland Professors Karen Kaufmann, James Gimpel, and Adam Hoffman in the Journal of Politics explain that "primaries often produce ideologically extreme candidates who are notattractive to more moderate, general election voters."

Finally, primaries give disproportional weight to states that happen to appear first on the calendar. These states create political momentum for winning candidates and prematurely narrow the field before later states can have their say. In 2004, by the time New Jersey voters had a chance to go to the polls, John Kerry had already been unopposed for 13 weeks, resulting in an abysmal 10% voter turnout.

Those kind of results are unacceptable to a nation like ours that prides itself on its unwavering devotion to the democratic spirit. If we truly want a government for and by the people, we must first not allow any select oligarchy to make electoral decisions for us. We must dare to make decisions for ourselves and we must dare to challenge the past because we are a nation that dares to move into the future.

Learn more about this author, Paul Gu.
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