Secretary of State Linda McCulloch said Tuesday she will push at a national commission meeting Saturday for a stronger voice for the Rocky Mountain states in the 2012 Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses.

McCulloch is the lone Montanan and the only secretary of state nationally appointed to the 37-member Democratic Change Commission. The panel, co-chaired by Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina and Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, meets for the first time in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, governor of Virginia, appointed the commission to recommend changes in the party's 2012 presidential nominating process.

Kaine asked the commission to address three issues: changing the window of time when presidential primaries and caucuses may be held; reducing the number of superdelegates; and improving caucus systems.

Montana usually draws little interest from presidential candidates because of its late primary in June, which is one of the last nationally in the presidential nominating process.

In 2008, then Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton's prolonged battle for the Democratic nomination carried into Montana, where each candidate made a number of campaign stops.

"Last time, Montana was a player," McCulloch said, "Now that we've been a player, I want to see it continue."

McCulloch questioned the fairness of having some states holding their primaries and caucuses first every year, referring to New Hampshire and Iowa, and others holding their elections last, as Montana does.

Iowa Democrats are practically holding their caucuses on Christmas Day, she said.

"We need to make sure the western states are not an afterthought," Montana's chief election official said, referring mainly to the Rockies.

McCulloch said she prefers primary elections to caucuses in presidential races.

"I'm not a big fan of the caucus procedure, because it includes a few people rather than all the people," she said. "My focus is to make sure more people vote, more people participate."

She's also not wild about designating top party officials, senators, congressmen and governors as "superdelegates" by virtue of the positions. They automatically become delegates at the national convention.

"It goes against the grain of my belief that everyone should have an equal vote and be equal," McCulloch said. "In voting, everyone is equal. Everyone is a superdelegate."

The secretary of state said her mind isn't closed on these issues and she's looking forward to hearing other members' opinions.

But, McCulloch said, "You'd have to convince me why it's a good idea to have superdelegates."

She said she has not spoken with other committee members beforehand.

Taxpayers won't be picking up the tab for the McCulloch's trip to Washington. She said the national Democratic association of secretary of states will pay for at least part of the trip and she will probably have to pay the rest of her own pocket.