Oregon Public Broadcasting

So, we've made it through Super Tuesday, and two things are clear.

One, Arizona Senator John McCain has become the real frontrunner in the Republican primary race. And the Democratic nomination fight will continue for what could be months.

Months is the operative word for Northwest voters. Because if Oregon wants any role, the race needs to be undecided on May 20th.

Reporter Ethan Lindsey joins us now to talk about whether that's a possibility.

Good Morning Ethan, did you get any sleep?

Morning April. I think a lot of political junkies were expecting California's results to take hours to be announced, so when that was decided so early I called it a night. So I think I'm doing alright.

Let's get on with it then - and we'll start with the Democrats, because while Hillary Clinton took California, everyone says the contest is a toss-up. Will it stay that way long enough for my vote matter in May?

May, is the real problem here April. Even with things up in the air today, another 20 states will vote between now and May 20th, which is Oregon's primary day. And that seems a LONG WAYS OFF if either candidate gets a load of momentum.

So, if Oregon wants a say on the Democrats' side, the state needs to root for either neither candidate - or both?

Seems like it. And if they stay close we may see the Democrats coming to Oregon several times in May. Barack Obama's campaign says the Illinois Senator may be in Seattle this week, ahead of the Washington caucuses.

But here's the sad part. Even if things are undecided the Monday before Oregon's vote, our 65 delegates could be close to meaningless at that point. Because the way the system works, there are another 800 super-delegates who don't vote until the convention June.

Or so says Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury.

Bill Bradbury: “Clearly the system is broken, and the opportunity for Oregon to be the Kingmaker? Aye! You could craft a scenario where that's true, but I don't think I'd bet a dime on it./LAUGH/Because its really highly unlikely.”

The super-delegates are actually elected and party officials who can vote however they want. Oregon has some of those too - the Governor and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley say they will vote for Clinton, and Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer backs Obama.

But it's not like we could decide the thing.

Okay, so with the hopes of Oregonians officially squashed, and now that Super Tuesday's over, lets post-mortem. Do people like this pseudo-'national primary day'?

Voters in Oregon obviously didn't like it very much. And then there were states like Delaware, which voted yesterday and got overlooked itself, because the candidates focused all their efforts on California and New York.

So high-ranking elections officials around the country, including Secretary of State Bradbury, have developed an idea for rotating regional primaries.

The country is divided into four equal sections - Oregon in the West - and there's a regional vote every month. If the West votes first one year, they move to the back of the line in the next year.

Well, that sounds relatively fair? Could we see that system in place in 2012?

Yes - and surprisingly, that's because of what happened yesterday on the Republican side.

With McCain in the driver's seat, he could hold the key to changing our elections.

First, let's back up just a bit, because changing the calendar runs through the Democratic and Republican party offices in D.C.

Democrats have said they will likely vote on a rule change to shift the calendar. And even if Republicans wanted to do the same thing, their party rules don't allow the primary calendar to be shifted like that except at the convention.

Here's where Senator McCain comes in. After he wins the party nomination, assuming he does, he has to ask Republicans to vote to change the system - that just elected him.

But I talked to McCain's people, and while the Senator won't take a stance on the issue, they referred me to speeches McCain has made in the past supporting the change.

So, I guess we'll have to wait until May, to see if Oregon's voters will get any say in who the candidates are for President. And even then, while they may get a vote on Democratic side, it's the Republican nominee who could really help Oregon become more of a player in the years to come.

Alrighty. Thanks Ethan.

Thank you April.