Every four years since 1972, Iowa and New Hampshire in tandem have repeatedly been the first two states to vote in the American presidential primary process. Isn’t it time for the other 48 states to take their turns at being one of the first two states to vote?
We should reform the presidential primary process in time for 2024 by instituting a rotational century schedule whereby every state will finally have the opportunity to be one of the first two states to vote.
Rotating the states would bring a much-needed, overdue element of fairness to our primary system by giving each state (no matter how sparsely populated) a period of political relevance.
Also, moving Iowa and New Hampshire out of their unwarranted privileged political positions at the front of the line would help make the process more demographically representative of the nation at large.
Here’s an idea of what the first two states’ rotational schedule could look like over the course of the next century:
2024 – Kansas, California.
2028 – Vermont, Texas.
2032 – Montana, New York.
2036 – North Dakota, Florida.
2040 – Idaho, Illinois.
2044 – Oregon, Ohio.
2048 – Arkansas, Pennsylvania.
2052 – New Mexico, North Carolina.
2056 – Kentucky, Michigan.
2060 – Alabama, Arizona.
2064 – Oklahoma, Massachusetts.
2068 – Wyoming, Missouri.
2072 – Connecticut, Wisconsin.
2076 – Utah, Georgia.
2080 – Hawaii, Washington.
2084 – West Virginia, Colorado.
2088 – Nebraska, Virginia.
2092 – Indiana, New Jersey.
2096 – Maine, Tennessee.
2100 – Mississippi, Minnesota.
2104 – Delaware, Louisiana.
2108 – South Dakota, Maryland.
2112 – Alaska, Nevada.
2116 – Rhode Island, South Carolina.
2120 – Iowa, New Hampshire.
Jake Pickering
Arcata