Q. Iowa and New Hampshire aren't exactly representative of the nation as a whole and yet they have so much influence on the presidential nominating process. Why are these states first every time?

"While it is true that Iowa and New Hampshire do not represent the demographic makeup of the rest of the country, this does not necessarily mean they are ill-suited to vet potential presidential candidates. These two small states allow candidates to campaign using "retail politics" techniques – holding small town hall meetings, meeting voters at social clubs, churches, or schools, and simply walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors.

"Why is this good? It allows candidates who are not already well-known to campaign in an affordable way, essentially, making money less important than it would be in a large state in which candidates had to raise and spend a lot of money on advertising or airplane tickets in order to become viable.

"This process gives voters a chance to vet all the candidates – not just those with money, endorsements and name-recognition already. Of course, other small states could play this same role. There is no reason it has to be Iowa and New Hampshire, but the benefits of starting in small states may be substantial – and are probably overlooked because these states seem so different from much of the country."

Lynn Vavreck, assistant professor in the UCLA Department of Political Science, specializes in campaigns and elections. She attended the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus and presented her research on "retail politics" at the University of Iowa.