I made my first trip to NH during political season over the
weekend, and my reaction was bittersweet. I found myself encouraged
by how seriously the state's residents take their voting
responsibility, and how they take the time to research and
carefully consider each candidate before making a decision. But I
was also saddened by the fact that such a process couldn't be
replicated at the national level. New Hampshire's relatively small
size and status as the first primary in the nation gives its voters
the unique oppourtunity to get face time with the candidates and
interact with them on a personal level. Also, New Hampshire voters
get to choose from a wide range of candidates. Those of us in the
rest of the country don't get to see much of the candidates and we
don't have as many choices because the field begins to dwindle
after NH. If primaries were nationalized so that all states held
them on the same day, candidates would not be able to interact with
as many people and those who couldn't raise enough money would
perhaps have even less of a chance of being heard than under the
current system. So, I think there's a clear value to NH's status as
the first primary in the nation, but I'm jealous of people who live
there.