Here are important dates on the 2024 election calendar

The presidential nominating contests kick off in less than two weeks with voting in Iowa on Jan. 15. That's followed by New Hampshire on Jan. 23.

Both states have a quirky history for why they have wound up first in the nominating process, and they award only a sparse number of delegates. But both have mattered significantly. Consider that since 1976, no Republican has lost both and went on to win the party's nomination for president.

But beyond Iowa and New Hampshire, lots of states will have their say in short order. On one single day — March 5, Super Tuesday — 16 states or territories will vote and, by the end of March, two-thirds of states and territories will have voted for who they think should be the next nominee for each party.

Here are some key dates for this year's election calendar: