Super Tuesday marks a record in the history of U.S. politics as the day in which the largest number of U.S. presidential primary elections are held simultaneously. Twenty-four states and American Samoa will hold primary elections or caucuses today. While Mississippi is not one of those states, bordering states Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas will hold their primary elections.
Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government, said Super Tuesday started because states wanted to play a more prominent role in picking the president of the United States. Having numerous states’ primaries on one day could show the influence of the states, Wiseman said.
“It’s held to allow states a process of selecting delegates to the respective party-nominating conventions,” he said.
Historically, Super Tuesday has helped predict the Republican and Democratic-backed nominees for the presidential race, but that may not be the case this year, Wiseman said.
“We may come out of Super Tuesday with one or both parties not having enough votes to predict the nomination,” he said.
If this is the case, later state primaries like Mississippi’s March 11 primary will receive more attention and have a greater impact than usual on the parties’ decisions, Wiseman said.
This year is an open election, Wiseman said, because there are no incumbent presidents or vice presidents running and there are many candidates.
An open election has not occurred since 1928. Additionally, this year is the first time since 1920 that neither an incumbent president nor vice president has sought his party’s nomination.
The national parties establish when a state can hold its primaries, Wiseman said. States can be penalized for failing to adhere to these rules, such as the case this year for Florida and Michigan. Both states held elections prior to Feb. 5, and the Democratic National Committee stripped both states of all convention delegates. The Republican National Committee reduced the number of delegates from both states, as well as Wyoming, New Hampshire and South Carolina, by half.
Super Tuesday’s results could show candidates where they stand and whether they should continue in the race, Wiseman said.
He said the size of this year’s Super Tuesday could be a positive aspect. Because of all the media outlets available, students have no excuse not to study and stay involved in politics, Wiseman said.
“It’s a unique form of government and a unique way to pick a head of state,” he said. “You certainly can’t say you’ve been denied the opportunity to participate in the political process.”
David Breaux, professor and head of the department of political science and public administration, said this year’s elections have interesting dynamics, considering the variety of candidates.
Because Mississippi is a small state in terms of electoral votes, Breaux said the state’s primaries are not usually as significant as those that fall earlier in the year. He said this year could be different.
“If we come out of Super Tuesday and it looks like a real dogfight, then Mississippi and other states will have a greater impact,” Breaux said.
Super Tuesday is the closest thing the United States has to a national primary, Breaux said, and placing the emphasis on one day could be beneficial.
Having a focus on one large primary could spark more interest in voters and prevent voters from being fed up with an extended season of primary elections, Breaux said.
Junior political science major Ben Lewis, who is from Memphis, said he is participating in Tennessee’s primary via absentee ballot.
Lewis, who is involved with the Stennis Montgomery Association, said staying politically active is a necessity for students because elections directly impact their lives, careers and futures.
“Politics is the exercise of power in society,” he said. “In order to better this country, people must participate in politics, even though they can be messy and sometimes dishonest.”
Freshman computer engineering major Zach Thornton said students should stay involved in politics because that is what brings about the laws that regulate students’ lives.
“It is important for students to follow politics unless they don’t care who rules over them and what laws get passed,” Thornton said. “I would encourage students to get out there and get involved, because if we don’t speak up and voice our concerns and our issues, who will?”
Thornton, who serves as the precinct campaign organizer for Republican candidate Ron Paul, said he will be watching the outcomes of Super Tuesday.
“This very well could be the turning point for any one of the campaigns, and it will be very interesting to see how each candidate’s preparation pays off. It’s also a great opportunity to see who a majority of people from their respective states think is best fit to be the nominee of their party,” Thornton said.