Republican Presidential-Primary Schedule Needs Update

Say the words “Iowa” or “New Hampshire,” and presidential candidates’ eyes light up. Every man and woman vying for the presidency — and all of their campaign consultants — knows the rest stops, diners, and small-town committee meetings of these two early voting states by heart.

Voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and the next few states on the presidential-primary calendar — Nevada and South Carolina are third and fourth each cycle — receive heaps of attention, adulation, and pandering from White House hopefuls every four years. It’s a time-honored tradition that these states defend fiercely. But it’s time to do away with it, because the outsized role these voters play in our elections is fundamentally undemocratic.

About the Author

Albert Eisenberg

Albert Eisenberg is a political consultant based in Philadelphia and Charleston, S.C.

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Say the words “Iowa” or “New Hampshire,” and presidential candidates’ eyes light up. Every man and woman vying for the presidency — and all of their campaign consultants — knows the rest stops, diners, and small-town committee meetings of these two early voting states by heart.

Voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and the next few states on the presidential-primary calendar — Nevada and South Carolina are third and fourth each cycle — receive heaps of attention, adulation, and pandering from White House hopefuls every four years. It’s a time-honored tradition that these states defend fiercely. But it’s time to do away with it, because the outsized role these voters play in our elections is fundamentally undemocratic.