Below The Beltway

It may be four years away, but Republicans are already starting to talk about the 2012 nomination process:

A rule-making panel of the Republican National Committee (RNC) has approved a plan that would dramatically restructure the presidential nomination process.

But it still has to surmount major obstacles to replace the current front-loaded schedule of primaries and caucuses.

The so-called “Ohio Plan,” which was proposed by state GOP chairman Bob Bennett, seeks to create a more orderly and drawn-out presidential nomination process that involves more voters, discourages advertising-heavy campaigns in big states, and promotes one-on-one retail campaigning in which candidates personally interact with voters.

It would place nearly all of the states and territories into four “pods” with roughly equal populations and electoral vote allocations.

The 14 smallest states and six U.S. territories “pod” would always vote first, but no earlier than the third week of February in presidential election years. The other three pods — comprising nine, 16 and seven states — would rotate their voting positions every four years. The ordering of the pods for the 2012 election would be determined by lottery; the pod that voted before the other two rotating pods would move to the end of the line in 2016 and the other two pods would move up one position. A rotating system would enable each grouping of states to have a chance to wield substantial clout in the presidential selection process.

Though it’s not a true regional primary, which is what reformers have talked about in the past, this plan makes sense because it protects the interests of smaller states and it ensures that the primary process itself gets back to the timetable it was on before the disaster that was 2008 — with nothing starting before February.

Here is how the states would be divided up:

Small States and Territories: Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Northern Mariana Islands

Rotating Pod X: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, Utah, and Washington

Rotating Pod Y: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia

Rotating Pod Z: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania

The plan also seems to perserve the first-in-the-nation status of states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina:

Iowa and New Hampshire may begin their process at any time during the 1st week of February in a year in which a national convention is held. South Carolina and Nevada may begin their process at any time after New Hampshire conducts its process. The small States and Territories pod shall hold its primaries, caucuses or conventions beginning no earlier than the Monday of the 3rd week of February. The first Rotating pod shall hold its primaries, caucuses or conventions beginning no earlier than the Monday of the 1st full week of March. The second Rotating pod shall hold its primaries, caucuses or conventions beginning no earlier than the Monday of the 4th full week of March. The third Rotating pod shall hold its primaries, caucuses or conventions beginning no earlier than the Monday of the 3rd full week of April.

Like I said, this sounds like a good idea. Or at least the ground floor for discussion of how to fix a primary process that went completely out of control this year.

H/T: Donklephant