University of Virginia Library

Commissions Recommend
Convention Voting Changes

of Missouri. The Democrats
established two commissions to
work on party reform. One of
these studying party structure
and delegate selection is
headed by Senator George
McGovern (D-S. Dak.). The
other commission evaluates
rules and is headed by
Congressman James G. O'Hara
of Michigan.

Mr. David reports that the
first active commission, the
McGovern Commission,
rejected the possibility of a
national presidential primary
while stressing the need to
preserve and improve the
national convention.

The commission instead
concentrated on guidelines for
delegate selection in states
without Presidential primaries.
Its recommendations included
open public meetings and
selection by the state party
committee of no more than ten
percent of the delegates.

The McGovern Commission
also recommended the
establishment of party rules
governing the appointment of
delegates on an equal basis of
population and previous
Democratic vote.

Recommendations from the
Rules Commission for
convention voting procedures
were similar to the ones of the
McGovern Commission for the
states.

Delegate Selection

The Democratic National
Committee nevertheless
decided to use a formula for
delegate selection based upon
the electoral college system of
apportionment and the
Democratic vote. Mr. David
states that the question of
procedure is presently under
litigation in the federal courts.

The rules commission
recommended the elimination
of the temporary chairman and
his keynote address on the
floor of the convention, and a
revision of the nomination
process. It also recommended
that time be given to nominate
only candidates who are
supported by 50 to 200 votes,
of which no more than 20 of
the votes are from the same
delegation, in an attempt to
restrict favorite son
nominations.

Nominating Speeches

According to Mr. David,
"Delegates can vote for
anyone, whether placed in
nomination of not, but the
time spent on nominating
speeches for trivial candidates
should be considerably reduced
by this change."

Mr. David also remarked
that pressures for change in the
Republican party is
considerably less, because
party members are satisfied
with the convention procedure.

The 1972 convention will
vote on these proposals, 'but
they will probably not go into
effect until 1976.

However, according to Mr.
David, the differences which
do occur at the present time
will be little noticed, "but they
will be real and are the result
of literally thousands of
changes in local, state and
national party procedures."