There is no other major democracy that chooses presidential candidates the way Americans do–a system in which primary voters play such a large role and the formal role of party leadership is so limited. Political scientist and presidential campaign veteran Elaine Kamarck and election law scholar Rick Pildes explore with Peter and Dale the advantages and disadvantages of the major parties’ primary system, how it has evolved in unexpected directions since the 1970s, and why the system would now be difficult to change.