From the primaries to the polls : how to repair America's broken presidential nomination process / Thomas Gangale.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Pt. I. The problem -- 1. Any given Tuesday -- 2. Hell-bent for election -- Pt. II. The solution -- 3. A gradual process, a random selection -- 4. Possible consequences -- 5. Paths to implementation -- Pt. III. The competition -- 6. Other concepts -- 7. Major league -- Pt. IV. The journey -- 8. An intellectual exercise -- 9. A remarkable achievement -- 10. A call for reform -- 11. Road warriors -- 12. Tackling Torres -- 13. Carrying California -- 14. Past prologue -- App. 1. Model state bill for implementing the graduated random presidential primary system -- App. 2. The Graduated Random Presidential Primary and Caucus Act.

"From the Primaries to the Polls describes the problem and proposes the solution - the American Plan - the most advanced concept for overhauling the presidential nomination process currently circulating. The American Plan is designed to begin with contests in small-population states, where candidates do not need millions of dollars to compete and a wide field of presidential hopefuls can be competitive in the early going. A "minor candidate's" surprise success in early rounds, based on merit rather than money, will tend to attract money from larger numbers of small contributors that the campaign can spend in later rounds of primaries. Keeping more candidates in the race longer to challenge the "frontrunners" will prevent a rush to judgment and permit more voters across the country to select from a diverse field. As the campaign proceeds over ten two-week intervals of primaries and caucuses on a semi-randomized schedule, the aggregate value of contested states will become successively larger, requiring the expenditure of larger amounts of money. A more gradual weeding-out process will occur, allowing a clear winner to emerge only after the full spectrum of candidates has been in play nationally." "From the Primaries to the Polls recounts the story of how support for the American Plan has spread through a network of grassroots activists to party leaders and state election officials. This book is required reading for political scientists and political activists - and for that growing segment of the general public that is interested in electoral reform. It is a message of hope, showing how a few persevering people with a good idea can change America for the better."--BOOK JACKET.