State moves presidential primary from June to March
Bill signed by Brown moves voting date to improve impact of state voters
Mark your calendars: In a bid to win more relevance in the presidential nominating fight, California is moving up its primary election date.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Wednesday that will move California’s presidential and state primaries from June to early March starting in 2019.
The bill, SB568, means that the state’s next presidential primary will be held on March 3, 2020 — right after the first four states, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
In recent years, California’s primary has come near the end of the pack, with voters having little impact on the nominations.
“California’s primary will officially be in prime time,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who supported the bill, said in a statement. “Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.”
But it’s unclear whether this switch-up will have a real impact. Other states could respond by moving their own primaries earlier as well, leaving the Golden State an afterthought.
In 2008, California passed similar legislation and moved its primary even earlier to February 5. But 23 other states ended up choosing the same date, diluting California’s influence.
Under the new bill, both state and presidential primaries will be held on the same day — the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March — unlike the 2008 effort. Supporters say that will boost turnout and avoid raising election costs, but opponents say it will mean interminably long general election campaigns up and down the ballot.
Theoretically, the move could be a boon to a potential presidential candidate from California, like Sen. Kamala Harris, who has been the subject of considerable attention from Democratic Party activists.
An earlier date will “change our elections for the better,” said Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, the bill’s sponsor. “We have a responsibility to drive a different agenda at the national level and promote inclusion and consensus, not the politics of division.”
Brown is also considering another bill passed by the Legislature that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns to get on California’s ballot. He has until Oct. 15 to sign or veto that bill.