New Hampshire offers proposal for new primary calendar for Dems
The Associated Press reports: In response to concerns that the Democratic primary system does not give enough voice to minority voters, New Hampshire Democrats have proposed a plan that would leave Iowa and New Hampshire first in 2008, but would closely follow them with contests in states with more diverse populations.
But some Democrats from other states have said they do not think such a change would be that different from the 2004 primary calendar. In 2004, the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary were followed a week later by voting in six states.
Democrats on a national commission have been meeting all year to consider how the party's primary calendar could be changed to give minorities a greater influence in the early selection of presidential candidates. Iowa and New Hampshire, which wield tremendous influence as the traditional first two states in the process, are predominantly white.
Some on the commission have talked about a proposal that would place two caucuses in states with diverse populations between the votes in Iowa and New Hampshire. That would probably include a Southern state with a substantial black population and a Southwestern state with a large Hispanic population. --
Democrats Offer Proposal for Primaries