The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday approved an adjusted early presidential primary state schedule, formalizing their intentions to move Iowa out of the early lineup and shake up the order, with South Carolina going first.

DNC committee members approved an early presidential primary schedule during the winter meeting in Philadelphia that begins with South Carolina, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on the same day, then Georgia, and Michigan fourth.

The DNC has given Georgia and New Hampshire an extension into early June to comply with the committee’s request to change their primary day and expand early voting access, amid concerns that they may be unable to do so in time — or at all. 

Given that both Georgia and New Hampshire have GOP-controlled legislatures and Republican secretaries of state and governors, changing their state’s respective primary processes could prove challenging. It’s unclear how Democrats might proceed if both states are unable to comply with the new early presidential primary calendar.

The DNC’s winter meeting comes as President Biden sent a letter to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee asking them to readjust the existing presidential primary calendar, which had Iowa holding its caucuses first, followed by New Hampshire as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. 

Biden has asserted the decision in part allows a more diverse demographic of voters to come earlier in the nominating process. At the same time, others have noted that South Carolina helped to turn Biden’s presidential prospects around in 2020 when he placed first in their primaries. 

“Our early states must reflect the overall diversity of our party and our nation – economically, geographically, demographically. This means more diverse states earlier in the process and more diversity in the overall mix of early states,” he wrote to the Rules and Bylaws Committee in December.

“Working class families are the backbone of our economy. Union households must be represented in greater numbers than before. We need to include voters from many backgrounds, not to ratify the choice of the earliest states, but as full stakeholders in making the choice,” he added.