SB353 eliminates the preferential primary election being held in May during gubernatorial election years and moves all preferential primaries to March, including those in years when the governor is on the ballot.
Currently, the primary schedule differentiates between gubernatorial election years (which has primaries in May) and presidential election years (which has primaries in March). This bill standardizes the preferential primary election to always be in March, regardless of whether it is a gubernatorial or presidential election year.
This change affects the scheduling of:
The bill was filed by Senator Bart Hester and Representative Jeremy Wooldridge. It passed the Senate State Agencies Committee and will be voted on next by the full Senate.
Committee discussion in the Senate centered around providing consistency for voters and for county officials administering the election. The only drawback mentioned in discussion was the potential for more inclement weather during early voting, which would primarily be in February. Senator Hester said he would address inclement weather policies in a separate bill.
If passed, it will go to the House for a vote.