By Steve Byas

We need a hybrid. No, not something like a Toyota Prius, but a hybrid caucus-primary system to choose our delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Last year, I led an effort to move the Oklahoma Republican Party back to the caucus system which three times gave all of Oklahoma's delegate votes to Ronald Reagan, and away from the primary system, which has seen Oklahoma's delegate votes go to more "moderate" Republicans like Bob Dole and John McCain.

I could rehash the reasons that I believe the efforts of Caucus OK! proved unsuccessful, but that is not my present purpose.

It is my desire that more of Oklahoma's registered Republicans get involved in the Oklahoma Republican Party. Under a caucus system, Republicans must go to precinct meetings to favor a particular candidate. Activists tend to be better informed, and more conservative, than those Republicans whose highest level of political activity is to vote on election day.

There is no question in my mind that a caucus system is superior to the primary system that we have employed since 1988 to choose our presidential nominee.

I am likewise convinced that, for reasons that I will not bother with right now, the delegates at the Oklahoma Republican State Convention are not going to replace the present primary system for a caucus system.

However, I think that we can accomplish much of the positive results of the caucus system, along with the positive aspects of the primary system by adopting a hybrid system.

Here is how it would work: We choose delegates to the national convention at both the congressional district conventions and the state convention. I propose that we elect delegates to the national convention at the congressional district convention that will NOT be bound by the results of the presidential primary, and that we elect delegates to the national convention at the state convention that will be bound by the results of the presidential primary.

We increase the number of Republicans coming to our precinct meetings, county conventions and congressional district conventions, while at the same time, providing for those who simply cannot attend these meetings to still have a say in the choice of our presidential nominee.

I have discussed this hybrid system with some who led the charge against our caucus system at last year's state convention, and so far, I have encountered no opposition.

Now I realize that some of the caucus purists that I worked with last year to advance the caucus system would prefer the whole loaf of bread, but I would much rather have half a loaf than no loaf at all. I would ask them to consider the good this proposal would do. This proposal has the potential of unifying the Oklahoma Republican Party, while increasing both the numbers and the clout of party activists.

All that would be required to make this beneficial change is a small change to state party rules. In Rule 18, we would need to amend (g) to add after the words 26 O.S. 20-104 (h), "except that delegates chosen at congressional district conventions shall not be bound by the results of any statewide primary."

Also in Rule 18, we would amend by striking the words, "Through the Oklahoma Presidential Primary," and begin a new sentence with the words, "Each congressional district," and continuing to the fourth line and substituting the words "the candidate" with "a candidate" and striking the words starting on the fourth line, "for the Republican nomination for President of the United States who received the largest number of votes from the congressional district in said primary." Then, beginning with the sixth line, the word "all" shall begin a new sentence, which shall read, "All remaining Oklahoma Republican National Convention delegates shall be awarded at large to the candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States who receives the largest number of votes in the Oklahoma Presidential Preferential Primary."

Let's unite behind this proposal.