11.  Burns has argued that small states like his are ignored and overwhelmed by the judges from California.

12.  But countervailing political currents even in small states have made the politics dicey.

13.  But in Aguascalientes, a small manufacturing state north of Mexico City, the governing PRI party appeared likely to suffer an important defeat.

14.  But the officials said the impact of the two small states ought to be mitigated by prolonging the selection process.

15.  But there is no doubt the Electoral College benefits small states, giving them more power in proportion to their populations than large states have.

16.  But when the small states demanded equal representation in the Senate, and Madison reluctantly agreed, other big-state enthusiasts among Virginians stormed out of Philadelphia.

17.  But whatever its quirks, Duprey and others say there is a real advantage in starting the process of selecting a president in a small state.

18.  Call it a quirk of a nominating process in which small states such as Iowa and New Hampshire wield a lot of clout.

19.  By starting with small states, the system would encourage lesser-known candidates without lots of money.

20.  Candidates who ignore these states risk losing the election because enough small states can give a candidate the majority of the Electoral College vote.