Kansas Democrats alter primary format for 2020 presidential pick

Kansas Democratic leaders have abandoned the traditional caucus approach for the 2020 presidential primary in hopes of generating more participation.

With a multitude of Democratic candidates competing for the nomination and a chance to take on Republican President Donald Trump, the Kansas Democratic Party is adopting a ranked choice voting system.

Instead of gathering in crowded gyms, forming clusters that align with candidates and yawping their support, registered Democrats will be asked to fill out a paper ballot next year upon which they order candidates by preference. If the first-choice candidate fails to gain 15 percent of the total vote, a ballot defaults to the second choice, and so on.

Kansas Democratic Party chairwoman Vicki Hiatt and executive director Ethan Corson are banking on trading spectacle for inclusiveness. The two spoke about the change for an episode of Capitol Insider, the podcast of The Topeka Capital-Journal that examines state politics.

Read more: https://www.cjonline.com/news/20190714/capitol-insider-podcast-kansas-democrats-alter-primary-format-for-2020-presidential-pick
(Topeka Capital-Journal)

Cross-posted in the Democratic Primaries Group.