Leave it alone. North Carolina played a major role precisely by staying out of the fray until the last moment and then weighing in, a little bit like Napoleon's Old Guard Cavalry who charged late when the battle hung in balance.

Robert Rodman

Raleigh

This time was right time

I tend to be opposed to reactionary decisions void of critical reflection. If the North Carolina primary had been earlier, we may have seemed far less relevant. Instead, we had the whole nation watching our election with great anticipation. Unexpectedly, our state appears to be the real decision maker of the primary season.

The country continues to be politically polarized. Unless there is significant shift in this polarization, a May-primary state could continue to be a major player. It was exciting having all of the attention from candidates. My 11-year-old son, Elijah Bader, saw Sen. Barack Obama three times. It was an unforgettable experience for him and one that may have been lost if we had an earlier primary.

It is time for change, but changing the date of the North Carolina primary could be a big mistake. Politics, culture and events of the day are not static. We may already be properly situated in the path of the winds of change. Patience may yet serve us well.

Jodi Hall

Raleigh

Look across the Atlantic

Leave well enough alone. As it is, I'm bugged that the primaries get so much coverage and for so long.

Two primaries would be torture. Our electoral process is ridiculous in the amount of money and wasted time spent on it.

Why not copy the United Kingdom model and get the whole thing over in a few months. I see nothing gained by the length of our system -- just more time for nasty political tricks, and nothing more learned on policies and issues.

Robert Ferone

Raleigh

Hold your ground, Alice

If every state keeps trying to move earlier, we'll just have a Red Queen's Race. Leave it alone.

Jean DeSaix

Chapel Hill

Let's have a Primary Day

Moving up did not go well for Florida and Michigan now, did it? But even with the blessings of the Democratic National Committee, every state will want to move up. Why wouldn't they?

It would make a lot more sense to have a national holiday, call it Primary Day, say, six months before the election. Sure, some states would never be courted, wined and speechified to by candidates who considered them insignificant, but at least we wouldn't have this endless brawl that the Democratic party is now going through. Also, the candidates from both parties would start their campaign on the same day -- the day after Primary Day. No head start for either.

Lois Henry

Durham

Contain the pandering

Oh, for crying out loud! Haven't politicians got something useful to do with their time? They could go out and put a little thought into what happened this year. For a blindingly clear example, all those states who hustled and bustled to be first were effectively irrelevant because they decided nothing. Iowa who? Bottom line: Who knows what will happen?

Is there anyone who really wants to be pandered to? (Well, I guess there actually are, but not in this house.) That's what we get, that and rigged surveys and countless other interruptions, for being early. There ought to be a law forcing all of them into a 60-day window, not during the NCAA tournament or good weather.

I can do without changing the primary. Maybe with luck the next time around it'll all be over by then, and we can focus our attention on the state and local races where choices really matter and we have a better chance of holding them to their pandering promises.

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