The vote-counting isn’t the only thing broken about the Iowa caucuses, says the Boston Globe editorial page. Of much more concern, the paper says in an editorial today, is the outsize role played in the presidential nominating process by a state whose demographics are far from reflecting those of the country as a whole. The same, it says, is true for New Hampshire, with its first-in-the-nation primary that comes right after Iowa’s caucuses.

With that, the Globe calls for an end to the tradition of the two small, overwhelmingly white states being the first to vote, a tradition that has allowed them to significantly influence the prospects for candidates. What’s more, the paper declares that it is holding off on an endorsement until after next week’s New Hampshire primary, forfeiting the regional influence it has traditionally wielded to “play kingmaker.”

The paper casts its move as something of a sacrifice based on principle.

“Sometimes, it’s more important to stand up for what’s right than what’s in one’s own interests: More important than wielding our influence on a single small state’s primary, we believe, is to call for the end of an antiquated system that gives outsized influence in choosing presidents to two states that, demographically, more resemble 19th-century America than they do the America of today,” says the editorial.

The case for scrapping a system giving Iowa and New Hampshire so much clout seems sound, and the paper offers a number of alternatives to consider, including rotating the order of early primaries among several more representative states.

WGBH News senior editor Peter Kadzis says the paper “snubs Warren” with its move. Which raises the question of who the paper will, in fact, back once its show of non-endorsement principle runs its course.

An Elizabeth Warren endorsement would represent quite a reversal, considering the fact that the paper already snubbed its senior US senator by preemptively editorializing in December 2018 — a month before she jumped in the race — that she should not run, zinging her as someone who has become a “divisive figure” at a time when the country needs a uniter to defeat Donald Trump. That said, Bernie Sanders hardly seems to be the center-left editorial page’s cup of tea. That leaves the more moderate field of contenders — including Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bloomberg (who snagged Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo’s endorsement today). There is plenty of reason to doubt that newspaper endorsements matter much in the scheme of things, though there’s a case to be made that they could sway primary voters more than general election voters. (Only two of the country’s top 100 papers endorsed Trump in 2016.)

It’s still something fun for political junkies to speculate about, and campaigns certainly covet whatever size boost an endorsement can bring.

Any reform of the primary process will have to wait at least four years. In the meantime, with their delayed endorsement calendar, the Globe’s editorial board will no doubt be paying close attention to how things stand once all the votes are counted in Iowa and the ballots cast in New Hampshire.

MICHAEL JONAS

BEACON HILL

What can we learn about Gov. Charlie Baker from his stump speech on transportation? Quite a bit, as it turns out. (CommonWealth)

A bill raises the question: How pro should college athletes be allowed to go? (CommonWealth)

Beacon Hill notes: A bill emerges from committee that would make inmate prison calls free. Business officials urge lawmakers to report out of committee the Safe Communities Act. (CommonWealth)

The House is scheduled to jump back into pot policy by giving the Cannabis Control Commission more control over local host community agreements. (CommonWealth)

Supporters of a bill making it easier for undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses stage a hunger strike. (MassLive) Boston Mayor Marty Walsh explains why the legislation makes sense. (WBUR)

Sen. Karen Spilka says the Baker administration has confirmed it is shutting down MCI-Framingham and will brief municipal officials soon. (MetroWest Daily News)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

A would-be Sturbridge pot shop owner is threatening to sue the town after the Board of Selectmen approved a host community agreement for the store, but then took another vote and reversed the decision. (The Telegram)

Quincy city councilor Charles Phelan is hoping to take the site of a former nightclub and make it into a city-owned park. (Patriot Ledger) 

US prosecutors do not want a federal judge to rule that former Fall River mayoral chief of staff Gen Andrade can sever her corruption case from co-defendant and former mayor Jasiel Correia II’s criminal trial. (Herald News) 

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

President Trump touted the strength of the economy in a State of the Union address that never mentioned the impeachment trial he now the subject of. (Washington Post) The Washington Post fact-checked the speech and found it was “chock-full of stretched facts and dubious figures.” Trump appeared to ignore House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s offer of a handshake before the speech, and she tore in half her copy of the address after it, but otherwise everyone seems to be getting along swimmingly. (Politico) Rep. Ayanna Pressley took a pass on the speech (MassLive)

ELECTIONS

Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are in the lead based on partial returns from the problem-plagued Iowa caucuses. (Boston Globe)

The Globe editorial page says it won’t make an endorsement in next week’s New Hampshire primary and calls for an end to the tradition of Iowa and the Granite State casting the first votes in presidential races and exercising outsize influence on the nominating process.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Developer AvalonBay Communities initially proposed building 250 apartments in North Andover—but now the number is being cut to 170 units, following opposition from residents about traffic. (Eagle Tribune) 

A proposal to build a three-story apartment building in Danvers has generated enough criticism from neighbors and the town’s zoning board to send the developers back to the drawing board. (Salem News) 

EDUCATION

UMass Amherst is planning to offer students a veterinary degree that makes use of its new Mount Ida campus in Newton. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

Fears of the coronavirus have taken hold on members of the Chinese community in Quincy, the state’s second largest. (Boston Globe)

TRANSPORTATION 

Once alerted via Twitter by CommonWealth’s Michael Jonas, the MBTA moves fast on a stair repair at Downtown Crossing that the transit authority says was slated for this weekend. (CommonWealth)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

Convicted rapist Benjamin La Guer, who once had lots of local big names rallying behind his profession of innocence, is now suffering from terminal cancer behind bars. He is asking a judge to reverse a Department of Correction ruling against his application for “compassionate release.” (Boston Globe) Globe columnist Adrian Walker, who was once part of the chorus calling for reexamination of his conviction but is now convinced of his guilt, says La Guer’s request for release should be granted.

The state Appeals Court has upheld a lower court ruling that allows Edgartown Federated Church to sell an estate that Historic New England had argued it had rights to. (Cape Cod Times) 

MEDIA

Controversy swirls inside the Washington Post newsroom and speculation grows about editor Marty Baron’s future. (Vanity Fair)