Secretary of State Mauro Works to Retain Iowa's First in Nation Caucuses
National Association of Secretaries of State plan would rotate regional primaries starting in 2012

(Des Moines) Iowa Secretary of State Michael A. Mauro worked to ensure that Iowa would retain its early caucus status that allows lesser-known candidates the chance to compete through living room politics rather than the costly media-driven campaigns.

Mauro made his pitch at the annual winter meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in Washington, DC last week as thirty-nine Secretaries of State met and devised a non-partisan plan for a rotating regional presidential primary system.

"It is very important that Iowans continue our long held tradition of grassroots and living room style politics." Mauro stated about the Iowa Caucuses. "Iowans commitment to meeting with our candidates in a one on one manner should not be jeopardized by other states pushing their primary dates earlier and earlier each cycle."

The nation's secretaries of state are calling for nationwide adoption of their reform plan for a rotating regional system. The group is reviewing primary dates for the 2008 nominating cycle and discussing ways to get the states and national parties to agree to changes.

The association is hoping to generate support for the NASS Regional Rotating Presidential Primaries Plan. The proposal divides the country into four geographic areas-Eastern, Southern, Midwestern and Western-and rotates each region to vote first beginning in March. The other regions would hold their primary elections in April, May and June. A different part of the country would vote first every sixteen years. New Hampshire and Iowa would retain their early status to allow under-funded and less widely known candidates to compete through retail politics rather than the costly media-driven campaigns required in larger states.

The Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, endorsed the NASS proposal in its September 2005 report.

According to NASS, at least seventeen states are considering moving up the date of their presidential nominating contests compared to when they held them in 2004.

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