Half of Democratic voters think Iowa and New Hampshire have “too much” influence (51%) on which candidate wins the Democratic nomination. Fewer than one in five of those Democratic voters agree that Iowa and New Hampshire should go first. About two in five (42%) want other states to lead the way. Among the public overall, those with an opinion agree that other states should precede the traditional first two states, but more than half the public aren’t sure either way.
Dissatisfaction with the primacy of Iowa and New Hampshire isn’t new. At least since 2004, polls have indicated that Americans don’t like the power those two states have in the nominating process.
Along with public unease about the process, most Democratic voters claim that the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary aren’t particularly important to their votes. Just 12% say they are very important.
