Too much influence

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, is the first community to vote in the state’s primary election. The registered voters arrive before midnight, so they are ready to cast their ballots at the first tick of election day. The community has had a 100 percent voter turnout for decades.

This year, all nine Dixville Notch voters cast their votes. Bernie Sanders won on the Democratic side. John Kasich won on the Republican side.

It’s a quaint tradition.

Not so quaint a tradition is the inordinate effort of presidential candidates to win in two non-representative states. First come the Iowa caucuses, then the New Hampshire primary.

These two states can decide the makeup of the national races.

They can deplete candidate resources. They can prematurely give momentum to candidates not able to attract national support. They can influence opinion far beyond their significance.

For example, more than $200 million has been spent on political advertising in New Hampshire. The state has less than 1.5 million inhabitants. Some candidates are already out of money.

Losing in these first tests can mean some substantial candidates will not be able to raise more donations or will be cast prematurely as “also rans”.

Nobody would let the first round of a golf tournament decide the outcome. Nor would they let pre-school be a determinant of adult success.

Of course, the other 48 states will still have their say, but it may well be a diluted say, having fewer candidates from which to choose.

Three candidates dropped out based on the results from Iowa alone.

The Iowa and New Hampshire votes send a strong message to the nation. The problem is that the message is simply too strong.

Letting Iowa and New Hampshire have such disproportionate influence on the eventual nomination of the parties’ nominees is akin to letting little Dixville Notch decide the outcome for all of New Hampshire.

That state would not allow it.

Neither should the American voter allow Iowa and New Hampshire so much influence in the national races. There is a big country out there, and it is much different and more diverse than these two states.

More American voters should be able to select from all hopefuls rather than a truncated field.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher