Tonight’s caucus in Iowa and next week’s New Hampshire primary will be decided by a nearly monochromatic electorate. As America rockets towards being a country where white people are the minority, it bears repeating that our process doesn’t reflect our populace. The outsized influence that these first-in-the-nation states—and their 90-plus percent white populations—have over the presidential race is something you see noted virtually every election cycle.
Vox’s Dylan Matthews took his turn earlier today, writing, “By putting Iowa and New Hampshire first, the Democratic and Republican parties are effectively saying that disproportionate power and influence should go to a small group of overwhelmingly white people in rural areas and small cities.” He adds, “[T]o put it more bluntly, it gives white people outsize power in determining nominees, and disenfranchises black, Hispanic, Asian Americans, and Native Americans relatively speaking.”
It would be swell if the powers that be in both parties took a minute to consider this enough of an issue to make a change. Yeah, I’m not holding my breath, either.