McGovern-Fraser Commission Overview

McGovern-Fraser Commission Overview

• Formally known as the Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection.
• Established in response to the chaotic 1968 Democratic National Convention.
• Created shortly after Richard Nixon's electoral victory to reform party delegate selection.

Commission Leadership

• Comprised of 28 members selected by Senator Fred R. Harris, then Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
• Chaired by Senator George McGovern and Representative Donald M. Fraser.
• McGovern resigned in 1971 to pursue the presidency and became the first nominee under new rules, though he lost to Nixon.

Goals and Reforms

• Aimed to enhance transparency and accessibility in the delegate selection process.
• Advocated for party member decision-making rather than decisions made by party insiders.
• Sought to promote key democratic principles in party procedures.

Key Recommendations

• Convention delegates should be chosen through an open process rather than in closed meetings.
• Initially intended for caucuses to be used, but most states adopted primaries for ease of participation.
• Recommended the elimination of the "Unit Rule" (winner-take-all) in favor of proportional delegate awards.
• Emphasized the importance of diversity (race/gender) in convention delegations.

Impact on Political Landscape

• The McGovern-Fraser Commission reforms primarily affected the Democratic Party, but Republican Party adopted many changes, albeit lacking in diversity efforts.
• Intended to create a mixed decision-making body involving voters and party elites, but inadvertently disempowered party elites from filtering candidates effectively.
• Led to a growing influence of money and advertising in campaigns during the late 20th century.
• Recent decades have seen a resurgence in voter and volunteer influence within party politics.