Florida, the country's fourth largest state, has moved head of the pack in the race of "who's on second" in the Florida legislature approved 29 January for its primary date, moving it ahead of the prior winner, 5 February. Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to sign the bill.

The move puts Florida first in the states manuevering for second place, behind the New Hampshire primary. It would also follow caucuses in both Iowa and Nevada.

The legislation also requires a paper trail for ballots; the state seems to be moving to optical scan voting. Critics, however, suggest that 18 months isn't enough to test and install yet another voting system. In the 2004 presidential election, many of Florida's precincts used touchscreen machines, rushed into the void left by hanging chads in 2000.

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