HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell expects a task force on elections to recommend moving the date of the state's 2008 presidential primary from late April to early March in order to give Pennsylvania more influence in deciding who will be the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.

The 13-member panel, which was named in December, is due to deliver its report to Rendell on Thursday.

But Rendell said yesterday, "I understand they voted to move the primary up and that's something I agree with."

He has said that Iowa and New Hampshire, with their smaller, homogenous and rural populations, have too much influence in deciding who the candidates are.

"For the state that's almost the most important in the [November 2008] presidential election, for us to have no say in the nomination of the two parties' candidates makes no sense," he said.

But moving up the primary date requires the Legislature's approval and there could be resistance. An earlier primary would give legislators less time to campaign, and they'd have to circulate petitions for signatures to get on the ballot in November and December, when cold weather and the holidays could get in the way.

The task force is also expected to issue opinions on whether Pennsylvania should have "early voting," allowing residents to cast their votes one or two weeks before Election Day, as is done in Florida, and on whether to apportion Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes to more than one presidential candidate based on the popular vote total rather than the current system of winner-take-all.