Say Good-Bye to the Texas Two-Step

It's not that often that we not only participate in the end of an era, but know it at the time. And no matter how necessary it may be, no matter why or how the era is ending, it's kind of sad, really.

I refer, of course, to the Texas Two-Step. A convoluted primary system that only this state could come up with. Yes, in Texas, you can legally vote twice (or more!) in the Democratic presidential primary.

First, you vote in the "normal" primary. Probably like any other primary state: you go to your precinct's polling place, show your voter registration card or ID, and vote either electronically or on a paper ballot. (No chads, please.) So far, so good.

But then, my friends, then the fun starts. Because you can go back that evening, after the polls close, and vote again!!! Call it a precinct convention, call it a caucus, call it total chaos (more on that later), but anyone who wants can go back and sign in for the presidential candidate of their choice. You don't even have to stay any longer than that -- sign in, go home, turn on the election results on TV.

That sign-in determines the allotment of delegates from your precinct to the county (or senatorial district, please don't ask) convention. If the sign-ins are 50% Clinton and 50% Obama, the delegates to the county (etc.) convention will be 50% Clinton and 50% Obama.
Now, if you do stay after signing in, you might be selected to be a delegate to that county (etc.) convention. As I did. Yes, yours truly can truthfully claim my moment in the sun as an Obama delegate!!!!!

But I digress. Now, if you are a delegate to the county (etc.) convention, you get to vote AGAIN! Yes, now you select delegates from your county (etc.) convention to the state convention. And here it gets REALLY complicated, with a formula based on how many votes your precinct turned in for the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial candidate! Are you still with me? Don't worry, I'm not either. And I have the advantage of possessing the official "Rules of the Texas Democratic Party," 2006-2008 Edition. Subtitle: "Moving Texas Forward." I kid you not.

Now, you may ask, is anyone checking to make sure you're still voting for the same candidate you did when you first signed in on election evening? Heck, no. This is Texas! Nobody tells us what to do! Besides, we're all too busy working out complicated mathematical formulas.

Believe it or not, this system worked fine for the past 20 years. Why? Because nobody cared. The nomination was all sewn up before anyone had to even think about campaigning in Texas. Most voters were more interested in the candidates for sheriff and county commissioner, truth be told.

The result was that, in 2004, there were about a dozen people at my county's party convention.
This year? 150 delegates, plus alternates, plus party officials, plus . . . Not a problem here, but oh, my Lord! Larger, less civilized areas, like San Antonio, Houston -- total chaos. Now, they had weeks after the chaos of the precinct caucuses to prepare, but did they pay attention? Did they think, hey, we'd better be organized to within an inch of our lives, or else we'll get run out of town?
Um, apparently not. And it wasn't pretty.

One of the things the county conventions do, is to pass resolutions to be forwarded to the state convention. On all sorts of topics -- no border fence, abolish the Electoral College, death to the TransTexas Corridor, etc.
But I will bet you anything you like, that mine was not the only county passing a resolution to go to a straight primary, delegates to be awarded proportional to the popular vote. It won't be, can't be acted upon this year. But I'll be very suprised if we do this again in 2012.

It will be much easier to organize. The national media won't make fun of us. The primary system will make sense.

We'll be just like everybody else who holds a primary.

Kind of sad, really. The words "Texas" and "just like everybody else" should never never never be in the same sentence.