February 12, 2007
Primary Envy Posted by Julie M. Fenster at 12:55 PM EST I live in New York State, which is to say that I am openly jealous of the people in Iowa, who not only have the biggest influence in the primaries, being the first to vote, but have the chance to meet the candidates to the point of ennui—trying them out, taking them to task, flipping pancakes with them. No primary candidate has been in New York (or about 40 other states) since—well, maybe Ted Kennedy. Remember when he ran? The early primary (or caucus) is supposed to keep retail politics alive, so I understand. The people of Iowa act as surrogates for the rest of us. I would like to fire the people of Iowa as my surrogate. Looking at the historical statistics, two thirds of them can’t be bothered to vote in the caucus. After all of the attention (and tens of millions of dollars) showered on the state, only 12.2 percent of eligible Iowans voted in the 2004 primary. In other presidential years, when the both parties had a race in contention, the rate was only a little higher. It is a rousing year when as many as a quarter of them manage to finish their full stacks and cast a vote. Ungrateful urchins! New Hampshire isn’t much better, by the way. Here is a better proposal. Whatever state has the highest turnout in the presidential primary is automatically scheduled as the first primary in the country four years later. Reward the people who care enough to vote.
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