1.This Act may be cited as the
Regional Presidential Primary and
Caucus Act of 2007
.
2.In this Act:
(1)The
term caucus means any convention, meeting, or series of meetings
held for the selection of delegates to a national Presidential nominating
convention of a political party.
(2)The term election year means a year during
which a Presidential election is to be held.
(3)The term national committee means the
organization which, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party, is
responsible for the day-to-day operation of such political party at the
national level, as determined by the Federal Election Commission.
(4)The term political party means an association,
committee, or organization which—
(A)nominates a
candidate for election to any Federal office whose name appears on the election
ballot as the candidate of such association, committee, or organization;
and
(B)won electoral
votes in the preceding Presidential election.
(5)The
term primary means a primary election held for the selection of
delegates to a national Presidential nominating convention of a political
party, but does not include a caucus, convention, or other indirect means of
selection.
3.
(a)
(1)
(A)The
Election Assistance Commission shall establish procedures for the conduct of a
lottery by not later than March 1, 2010, to select which of the 4 regions
described in subsection (b) will hold the first primary in accordance with the
schedule under subparagraph (B). Based on such selection, the primaries shall
be conducted in the following order:
(i)In
the case where Region I is selected to hold the first primary—
(I)Region II shall
hold the second primary;
(II)Region III shall
hold the third primary; and
(III)Region IV shall
hold the fourth primary.
(ii)In
the case where Region II is selected to hold the first primary—
(I)Region III shall
hold the second primary;
(II)Region IV shall
hold the third primary; and
(III)Region I shall
hold the fourth primary.
(iii)In the case
where Region III is selected to hold the first primary—
(I)Region IV shall
hold the second primary;
(II)Region I shall
hold the third primary; and
(III)Region II shall
hold the fourth primary.
(iv)In
the case where Region IV is selected to hold the first primary—
(I)Region I shall
hold the second primary;
(II)Region II shall
hold the third primary; and
(III)Region III
shall hold the fourth primary.
(B)Subject
to paragraph (3), in 2012, each State that elects to hold a primary shall hold
a primary in accordance with this Act, according to the following
schedule:
(i)Each such State in the region selected to hold the first
primary under subparagraph (A) shall hold a primary during the period beginning
on the first Tuesday in March and ending on the sixth day following such
Tuesday.
(ii)Each such State in the region required to hold the second
primary under subparagraph (A) shall hold a primary during the period beginning
on the first Tuesday in April and ending on the sixth day following such
Tuesday.
(iii)Each such State in the region required to hold the third
primary under subparagraph (A) shall hold a primary during the period beginning
on the first Tuesday in May and ending on the sixth day following such
Tuesday.
(iv)Each such State in the region required to hold the fourth
primary under subparagraph (A) shall hold a primary during the period beginning
on the first Tuesday in June and ending on the sixth day following such
Tuesday.
(2)Subsequent
election cycles
(A)Subject to paragraph (3), except as provided in subparagraph
(B), in each subsequent election year after 2012, each State in each region
that elects to hold a primary shall hold a primary during the period beginning
on the first Tuesday of the month following the month in which the State held a
primary in the preceding election year (or, in the case where the State did not
elect to hold a primary in the preceding election year, the month in which the
State would have held a primary if it had elected to do so) and ending on the
sixth day following such Tuesday.
(B)If
the States in a region were required to hold primaries during the period
beginning on the first Tuesday in June of the preceding election year and
ending on the sixth day following such Tuesday, the States in such region that
elect to hold a primary shall hold a primary during the period beginning on the
first Tuesday in March of the succeeding election year and ending on the sixth
day following such Tuesday.
(3)The
States described in paragraphs (1)(G) and (3)(C) of subsection (b) may hold a
primary on a date prior to the beginning of the period described in paragraph
(1)(B)(i). In the case where such a State does not elect to hold a primary
prior to the beginning of such period, if the State elects to hold a primary,
the State shall hold a primary during the period in which the region the State
is in (as determined under subsection (b)) is scheduled to hold a primary (as
determined under paragraphs (1) and (2)).
(b)For
purposes of subsection (a):
(1)Region I shall be comprised of the following:
(A)Connecticut.
(B)Delaware.
(C)District of
Columbia.
(D)Maine.
(E)Maryland.
(F)Massachusetts.
(G)New
Hampshire.
(H)New
Jersey.
(I)New York.
(J)Pennsylvania.
(K)Rhode
Island.
(L)Vermont.
(M)West
Virginia.
(2)Region II shall be comprised of the following:
(A)Alabama.
(B)Arkansas.
(C)Florida.
(D)Georgia.
(E)Kentucky.
(F)Louisiana.
(G)Mississippi.
(H)North
Carolina.
(I)Oklahoma.
(J)South
Carolina.
(K)Tennessee.
(L)Texas.
(M)Virginia.
(3)Region III shall be comprised of the following:
(A)Illinois.
(B)Indiana.
(C)Iowa.
(D)Kansas.
(E)Michigan.
(F)Minnesota.
(G)Missouri.
(H)Nebraska.
(I)North
Dakota.
(J)Ohio.
(K)South
Dakota.
(L)Wisconsin.
(4)Region IV shall be comprised of the following:
(A)Alaska.
(B)Arizona.
(C)California.
(D)Colorado.
(E)Hawaii.
(F)Idaho.
(G)Montana.
(H)Nevada.
(I)New
Mexico.
(J)Oregon.
(K)Utah.
(L)Washington.
(M)Wyoming.
(5)The
national committees shall jointly determine the region of each territory of the
United States.
4.State caucus to
select delegates
(a)Subject to subsection
(b), in the case where a State elects to select delegates to a national
Presidential nominating convention of a political party through a caucus held
by any political party which has the authority to nominate a candidate, the
State shall hold a caucus during the period in which the region the State is in
(as determined under section 3(b)) is scheduled to hold a primary (as
determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 3(a)).
(b)The
States described in paragraphs (1)(G) and (3)(C) of section 3(b) may hold a
caucus on a date prior to the beginning of the period described in section
3(a)(1)(B)(i). In the case where such a State does not elect to hold a caucus
prior to the beginning of such period, if the State elects to hold a caucus,
the State shall hold a caucus during the period in which the region the State
is in (as determined under section 3(b)) is scheduled to hold a primary (as
determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 3(a)).
5.Nothing in this
Act—
(1)shall be construed as requiring a State to
hold a primary or a caucus for the selection of delegates to a national
Presidential nominating convention of a political party; or
(2)is intended to confer to the Election
Assistance Commission any power concerning the selection of delegates other
than that expressly provided under section 3(a)(1)(A).
6.This Act shall apply with
respect to any primary or caucus held in connection with a general election
held in the year 2012 and in each election year thereafter.