Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Bill to Cancel 2012 Washington Primary to be Signed May 12

SB 5119, the bill to cancel the 2012 presidential primary in Washington state, is on the list of bills to be signed by Governor Christine Gregoire (D) on Thursday, May 12. The legislation was originally introduced at the request of the governor and Secretary of State Sam Reed (R) as a means of saving the state $10 million in elections expenses and would only suspend the primary for the 2012 cycle. Those provisions are set to expire on January 1, 2013.

Several states have discussed consolidated presidential and state/local primaries as a means of saving money on future budgets, but Washington would become the first state during the 2012 cycle to cancel its primary to reach those savings. Kansas is also attempting to cancel its primary.

For a look back at the process of how the bill got here (and other 2012 state caucus news) click on the "Washington" tag in the box below the post.


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