The group plans to hold a national primary election on the Internet — a mass-participation exercise that anyone can join. Candidates can nominate themselves, and voters can form committees to “draft” candidates, including politicians drawn from the major parties — Hillary Rodham Clinton, for example, or Jon Huntsman. Candidates who don’t want to be drafted can take their names off the ballot, but only after several rounds of voting — so a Clinton boomlet could happen even if the secretary of State says she’s not playing. Meanwhile, the group is collecting signatures to put itself on every state’s ballot; it says it has collected 1.6 million signatures in California, which should enable it to qualify.

Who will its candidate be? Bloomberg is frequently mentioned, even though he says he doesn’t plan to run. So is Huntsman, even though he says he’s only interested in the Republican nomination. It might be former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, who has been trying to break into the Republican race; former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who retired after denouncing both parties; or independent business figures such as Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who has called on his fellow moguls to stop giving money to politicians.

Americans Elect says it plans to choose a presidential nominee (and a vice presidential candidate, who by the group’s rules can’t come from the same party) by June.