Weaving through masses of stained coffee cups, bagels and paperwork which surrounded the desks of Michigan’s sleep-deprived state legislators, staffers anxiously made their way across the senate floor with armfuls of messages and warm refreshments for their weary bosses. 

The days grew colder without negotiation, while inside our state capital the heat was rising as the Oct. 1 deadline, which marked the end of another fiscal year, swiftly approached. Pressured to submit a balanced budget for 2008, legislators disputed tax cuts and program funding for various state divisions. 

I took my place at the back of the senate floor to observe such negotiations during session one afternoon, expecting to find out whether the office I was interning for would be closed the following week for a state shutdown. I was surprised to look up and see that our economy was not the only pressing issue on the agenda that day. Confused, I turned to a legal advisor who explained that the latest hot topic at the capital was Michigan’s primary elections. 

Influential Michigan Democrats like Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Carl Levin insisted that by following the state of Florida and changing our presidential primary from caucuses on Feb. 9 to primary elections on Jan. 15, our predominantly blue state would play a greater role in the presidential nomination process.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman, Howard Dean, warned both Michigan and Florida against moving their primary dates against the rules of the DNC because their delegates would not be seated at the Denver convention.  Candidates Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson removed their names from the Michigan ballot and vowed not to campaign in the state before the primary. 

Hillary Clinton was the only major candidate left on the Democratic ballot, because, as she told reporters, “If it won’t count anyway, why not?”

Those who wished to vote for other candidates were expected to show up and vote “uncommitted” because writing a candidate in would immediately void their ballot.

Taxpayers picked up the $12 million tab for the Jan. 15 primary elections, yet many were left puzzled.

Confusion surrounding our primary only grew as  Dean stood behind the DNC regulations and refused to seat Michigan’s delegates as punishment for having violated party rules. 

Clinton and Granholm then decided that each person’s vote should count and that refusal by the DNC to seat Michigan’s delegates was un-American. They insisted that either the delegates counted in the state’s bizarre one-choice primary be seated or that another election be held in its place.

In recent months, rumors of rejected, shared and seated delegates and do-over primaries and their costly bills have been swirling. 

Already this year, Michigan residents have suffered serious economic losses, starting at the top where our trusted legislators spent their holiday seasons arguing over our state budget, deciding who deserves a share of taxpayers’ well-merited dollars.

Focusing on the issues that concern Michigan and its struggling economy would have been a better use of our elected officials’ time. 

Now, instead of at least feeling included in the decision process of nominating a presidential candidate, many cringe at the thought of another confusing and costly primary election.

Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer is confident that the national race for a presidential nominee will be so close that the DNC will have no choice but to count Michigan and Florida delegates. 

Changing the primary to January did not favor the majority of our state but cost everyone equally, and until an agreement is reached, Michigan will wait for a chance to fairly represent its preferred candidate for the  nomination. 

These last-minute changes to Michigan’s election process served only to confuse voters and to send a message that influential politicians can break party rules with few consequences.