Ohio also moved up its primary to the first Tuesday in March, resulting in a crowded schedule of 16 primaries and caucuses that spanned the country and vastly increased the number of delegates to be selected. National party changes after the 2000 election led to an earlier start in 2004, the most front-loaded calendar to date in terms of the number of primaries. In 2006, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) again revised its rules for the 2008 primary schedule, creating a calendar with the earliest start and the most front-loaded ever; 23 states held contests on February 5, the opening date for the window. With the approval of two new exceptions to the DNC rule for holding primaries and caucuses during the specified "window," the Nevada caucus was scheduled for January 19, five days after the Iowa caucus, followed by the New Hampshire primary on January 22, with the South Carolina (and Florida) primary a week later. Because the Florida and Michigan Democratic Parties relied on the January primary results to apportion delegates, the national Democratic Party on May 31, 2008, reduced the vote of both delegations by 50%, with each delegate having a half vote. In the end, the Credentials Committee of the Democratic National Convention restored full voting rights for the Michigan and Florida delegations the day before the convention began. The Republican party's rules committee approved a plan that would impose a new system for choosing national convention delegates, known as the Ohio Plan, for the 2012 election. As the result of a revision to Rule 15 of The Rules of the Republican Party , delegate selection events cannot be held before the first Tuesday in March, with an exception for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, which can hold their events on or after February 1 (regardless, Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina scheduled January events for 2012). The four states that are exempt from the timing rule are also exempt from this requirement. The final recommendation addressed a number of caucus-related issues from 2008: (1) complaints that the caucus process is unfair to students, the elderly, shift workers, and members of the military who may not have the time or ability to attend an event that lasts several hours and for which there is no absentee voting; (2) states that recently switched to a caucus process because state funding for a primary was not available were, at times, challenged to run a complicated, multi-tiered event and could benefit from peer input; and (3) adequate preparation is critical to ensure a smooth process, including site selection, participant education, and results reporting. Republican rules permit Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada to begin on or after February 1, but the Florida move introduced uncertainty over what Iowa and New Hampshire would do with respect to primary and caucus dates. The Iowa caucuses were scheduled for January 3. Republican rules specify that Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada may not hold contests prior to February 1 of the election year. Just days after Florida's announcement, South Carolina Republicans announced that the party would hold its primary on January 21, and Nevada Republicans announced on October 5, 2011, that party caucuses would be held on January 14. Whether the changes adopted for this cycle are retained will depend on how the parties view the nominating contest once it has concluded. The regional order would rotate every four years. Legislative Considerations

No bills have been introduced in the 112 th Congress to alter the presidential nominating process. Even more in doubt is the extent to which such changes would alleviate broader complaints about the presidential nominating process—low turnout, the negative perception of the media's role in the process, the influence of organized interest groups and ideological voters, the high cost of campaigns, and the reluctance of some potential candidates to enter the contest.
After a period of uncertainty over the presidential nominating calendar for 2012, the early states again settled on January dates for primaries and caucuses. Iowa held its caucuses on January 3 and New Hampshire held its primary on January 10. These two states, along with South Carolina and Nevada, are exempt from Republican national party rules that do not permit delegate selection contests prior to the first Tuesday in March, but specify that these contests may not be held before February 1. Officials in Florida announced that the state would hold a January 31, 2012, primary, in violation of party rules, which prompted South Carolina and Nevada to schedule unsanctioned events as well. South Carolina scheduled its primary on January 21; Nevada Republicans originally scheduled party caucuses for January 14, but changed the date to February 4. States that violate the rules risk losing half their delegates, as a number of states already have.
Every four years, the presidential nominating process generates complaints and proposed modifications, often directed at the seemingly haphazard and fast-paced calendar of primaries and caucuses. The rapid pace of primaries and caucuses that characterized the 2000 and 2004 cycles continued in 2008, despite national party efforts to reverse front-loading.
The Democratic Party approved changes to its calendar rules in July 2006, when the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee extended an exemption to Nevada and South Carolina (Iowa and New Hampshire were previously exempted) from the designated period for holding delegate selection events; and the committee proposed sanctions for any violations. With the exception of these four states, Democratic party delegate selection rules dictate that the first determining step in choosing national convention delegates could not begin until February 5, 2008. The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) stripped Florida of its national convention delegates on August 25, 2007, because the legislature scheduled the 2008 presidential primary for January 29, a date that conflicted with party rules. Michigan Democrats also forfeited their national convention delegates by scheduling a January 15 primary. In the end, the DNC decided on May 31, 2008, to seat full delegations for each state with a half vote for each of the delegates, thereby reducing each delegation's vote by 50% at the convention. On the day before the convention, the Credentials Committee restored full voting rights for both state delegations.
For the 2012 election, the two national parties agreed to a calendar format that would limit most state contests until after the first Tuesday in March, with exceptions for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. The cooperation to reduce front-loading was unprecedented and resulted in fewer early events and a more even distribution of contests thereafter.
Front-loading is only the most recent among a list of complaints about the nominating system, which has resisted wholesale change despite criticism from voters, the candidates, and the press. After several decades of debate, observers are divided on the best approach to reform. The lack of consensus for reworking the primary system is due partly to its complex design, which frustrates pursuit of a simple, obvious solution, and partly to the political parties pursuing their own variable interests on their delegate selection rules. The states further complicate the process by independently scheduling primary election dates. Congress, political commentators, academics, and others have offered various reform proposals over the years, but many important dimensions of reform depend on the parties' willingness to change the system for choosing delegates to their national conventions. No bills have been introduced in the 112th Congress to revise the nominating process.