With Iowa’s primary date now firmly set for January 3, all eyes look ahead to New Hampshire. The Granite State's primary is scheduled for January 22, pending the anticipated announcement from Secretary of State Bill Gardner.

With so much juggling, candidates are rescheduling their roadtrips to focus on the calendar changes, but what about voters? Historically, early primary dates have left many voters out resulting in lower turnout rates. But with significant focus being placed on one particularly clogged Super Tuesday, avoidance will not be an option. A flooded field of heavy media attention across the nation could lead to a voter frenzy effect encouraging participants’ involvement in the unusual phenomenon set to present itself beginning in January.

Other states choosing to jump to January, such as South Carolina, Florida and Nevada, are still waiting to hear from both Democratic and Republican party leadership on potential delegate losses following their scheduling decisions.

Set to play out as a true battle, both Iowa and New Hampshire sit atop the field as important wins for campaigning candidates. Iowa, a true swing state, turned out well for Al Gore in 2000, then George Bush in 2004. New Hampshire, traditionally Republican, voted Democrats into both Congressional seats in 2006, and may well join Iowa in being the first, and possibly most important wins of the 2008 elections. Both states will significantly impact the process, not only by earning delegates, but also with the chance to so strongly impact the voters readying for February 5.

The upcoming 2008 Super Tuesday is set to make history with 21 states announcing primaries on that day. Voters coming out to cast their ballots on the jam-packed day are more likely to rely heavily on the results of the early primaries, with less time for independent investigation and weighing of issues. The early primaries set the tone for the nation, helping voters base their judgment on candidate performances in the these backbone states.

New Hampshire Political Library President and CEO Michael Chaney, explaining his home state’s significance, said, “With a highly informed and engaged voter population, a level playing field for a wide range of candidates, and strong tradition of local civic engagement, New Hampshire is a unique crucible for national candidate readiness that strengthens the democratic principles upon which our nation is founded.”

But sharing the sentiments of their schedule neighbor, Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee Executive Director Chuck Laudner decided to settle on the chosen January date for very similar, patriotic reasons. “Our presidential candidates deserve a set date," said Laudner.