This year, 30 states have held presidential primaries (counting D.C. as a state). As noted in an earlier post, the cumulative vote totals for the leading major party presidential candidates are: Hillary Clinton 13,920,268; Barack Obama 13,855,412; John McCain 7,613,865.

Although 12 more presidential primaries are yet to occur, one can imagine that McCain’s vote total will never catch up to the vote totals for the two leading Democrats. If the U.S. used the “top-two” system that Washington state will be using this year, the general election would be between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama; no one else would be allowed on the November ballot.

The 12 presential primaries that lie in the future are: Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Not all of those primaries will choose delegates.

Nebraska and Maine are somewhat well-known for being the only two states that elect one presidential elector from each U.S. House district. The other 48 states elect presidential electors at-large. In theory, Nebraska and Maine could send elect some Democratic electors and some Republican electors, although it just happens that ever since those two states have used the district system, each district in that state has always agreed with all the other districts (Nebraska has 3 districts; Maine has 2).

Nebraska Senator Mike Friend introduced HB 433 last year, to end the system of electing one elector from each district. Although it has not advanced, it has not been defeated either. Nebraska has two-year legislative sessions. This year’s session will end on April 17.

Senator Friend also introduced a state constitutional amendment last year to give Nebraska a bicameral legislature. That proposal was LR3CA, but that was defeated, on March 8, 2007. Nebraska is the only state with a one-House legislature, but Senator Friend would have proposed a Senate of 31 members and a House of 62 members. Many Nebraska State Senators are serving their last terms this year, due to term limits finally taking effect. The Friend proposal would have provided an escape route for such Senators, if it had been enacted, since they could have run for the new House of Representatives.

Missouri has 9 U.S. House districts. Filing closed recently for Missouri primaries. The state has 3 ballot-qualified parties, each of which nominates by primary. This year Democrats will have a nominee in all 9 districts, Republicans will have a nominee in 8 districts, and Libertarians will have a nominee in 7 districts.

In 2006, all three of those parties had nominees in all districts.

New parties in Missouri still have plenty of time to petition their way onto the ballot. The Constitution Party has already finished its petition, but hasn’t handed it in yet, until it finishes recruiting candidates. Independents are also free to file in late July.