Monday, December 5, 2011

[2012 Presidential Primary Calendar in Review] Part 1: How We Got Here -- The Legislation

Below are links to the 2011 state legislative bills that moved -- or sought to shift -- the dates on which 31 states' primaries or caucuses will be held during the 2012 cycle. Of the 71 bills introduced, 21 were signed that changed the dates on which primaries will be held, two (Kansas and Washington) were signed canceling primaries altogether, two others (Florida and Georgia) were signed shifting the authority to set the date of a primary, and one bill (Colorado) was signed changing the date of a caucus. 

In a sign of just how powerful the new national party delegate selection rules were -- those that required a March start time for all non-exempt states -- there were only five states (Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas) with bills to move presidential primaries or caucuses forward from the date specified in the then-current law. Only one of those five bills even passed one legislative chamber. The Idaho legislature shifted primary in the Gem state up by a week in May only to later have the Idaho Republican Party abandon the primary in favor of an earlier caucus. The New Mexico and North Carolina bills sought early but compliant primary dates while the unsuccessful bills in Michigan and Texas would have moved the primaries there to non-compliant dates in January and February, respectively.

The remaining states where bills passed moved back. Five of those states (Alabama, California, New Jersey, Utah and Wisconsin) consolidated their presidential primaries with some state and/or local primaries. Additionally, Michigan's law -- the one changed temporarily for 2008 -- calls for a presidential primary that is concurrent with local school elections. Only Ohio moved in the other direction creating a separate presidential and US House primary because of redistricting issues.

Of the bills below that passed and changed the dates of the presidential primaries, only one (New York) represented a temporary move. New York now has no primary date for any cycle beyond 2012.

Below are the bills:



  • Alabama (HB 32)
  • Alabama (HB 425) -- Passed House 4/26/11 -- Passed Senate 5/26/11 -- Signed 6/9/11
  • California (AB 80) -- Passed Assembly 4/11/11 -- Passed Senate 7/14/11 -- Signed 7/29/11
  • Colorado (SB 189) -- Passed Senate 4/13/11 -- Passed House (amended) 5/3/11 -- Passed Senate 5/5/11 -- Signed 5/27/11
  • Connecticut (HB 6532) -- Passed House 5/18/11 -- Passed Senate 6/7/11 -- Signed 7/8/11
  • Delaware (SB 89) -- Passed Senate 6/16/11 -- Passed House 6/29/11 -- Signed 7/27/11
  • DC (B19-0090) -- Passed Council 4/5/11 -- Signed 4/27/11
  • Florida (HB 695) -- Died: Legislature Adjourned 5/6/11
  • Florida (HB 1355) -- Passed House 4/21/11 -- Passed Senate 5/5/11 -- Signed 5/19/11
  • Florida (SB 860) -- Died: Legislature Adjourned 5/6/11
  • Georgia (HB 454) -- Passed House 3/16/11 -- Passed Senate 4/14/11 -- Signed 5/13/11
  • Idaho (H 14)
  • Idaho (H 60) -- Passed House 2/3/11 -- Passed Senate 2/16/11 -- Signed 2/23/11
  • Kansas (HB 2080) -- Passed House 2/25/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 4/1/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 5/12/11 -- Passed House 5/12/11 -- Signed 5/25/11
  • Kansas (HB 2126)
  • Kansas (SB 128) -- Passed Senate 2/23/11
  • Kentucky (SB 4) -- Passed Senate 1/7/11 -- Died: Legislature Adjourned 3/9/11
  • Louisiana (HB 509) -- Passed House 5/26/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 6/20/11 -- Passed House 6/21/11 -- Signed 6/28/11
  • Maryland (HB 671) -- Passed House 3/23/11 -- Passed Senate 4/5/11 -- Signed 5/10/11
  • Maryland (SB 501) -- Passed Senate 3/29/11
  • Maryland (SB 820)
  • Massachusetts (H 1972)
  • Michigan (HB 4535)
  • Michigan (SB 584) -- Passed Senate 9/15/11 -- Passed House 9/20/11 -- Signed 10/4/11
  • Minnesota (HF 986)
  • Minnesota (SF 696)
  • Missouri (HB 3 -- Special Session) -- Passed House 9/9/11
  • Missouri (HB 10 -- Special Session)
  • Missouri (HB 121)
  • Missouri (HB 503) -- Passed House 3/31/11
  • Missouri (HB 694)
  • Missouri (SB 270) -- Passed Senate 4/21/11 -- Passed House (amended) 5/9/11
  • Missouri (SB 282) -- Passed Senate 3/31/11 -- Passed House (amended) 5/4/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 5/10/11 -- Passed House 5/13/11 -- Vetoed 7/8/11
  • New Jersey (A757)
  • New Jersey (A3777) -- Passed Assembly 5/9/11 -- Passed Senate 6/29/11 -- Signed 9/26/11
  • New Jersey (S71)
  • New Jersey (S2883) -- Substituted by A 3777 6/29/11
  • New Mexico (SB 572) -- Died: Legislature Adjourned 3/19/11
  • New York (AB 8363) -- Substituted by SB 5753 6/17/11
  • New York (SB 5753) -- Passed Senate 6/17/11 -- Passed Assembly 6/17/11 -- Signed 7/13/11(?)
  • North Carolina (S440)
  • Ohio (HB 194) -- Passed House 5/18/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 6/23/11 -- Passed House 6/29/11 -- Signed 7/5/11
  • Ohio (HB 318) -- Passed House 9/15/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 10/20/11 -- Passed House 10/21/11 -- Signed 10/21/11
  • Ohio (HB 369) -- Passed House 12/14/11 -- Passed Senate 12/14/11 -- Signed 12/15/11 
  • Ohio (SB 217)
  • Oklahoma (HB 1057)
  • Oklahoma (HB 1614) -- Passed House 3/14/11 -- Passed Senate 4/25/11 -- Signed 5/2/11
  • Oklahoma (HB 1615) -- Passed House 3/16/11 -- Passed Senate (amended) 4/7/11 -- Passed House 5/3/11 -- Signed 5/10/11
  • Oklahoma (HB 2138)
  • Oklahoma (SB 602) -- Passed Senate 3/8/11
  • Oklahoma (SB 808) -- Passed Senate 3/1/11
  • Oregon (HB 2429)
  • Rhode Island (H 5653) -- Passed House 6/23/11 -- Passed Senate 6/29/11 -- Signed 7/12/11
  • Rhode Island (S 399) -- Passed Senate 4/28/11 -- Passed House (amended) 6/23/11 -- Passed Senate 6/28/11 -- Signed 7/1/11
  • Tennessee (HB 612) -- Passed House 4/14/11 -- Passed Senate 4/25/11 -- Signed 5/9/11
  • Tennessee (HB 760)
  • Tennessee (HB 793)
  • Tennessee (SB 599)
  • Tennessee (SB 929)
  • Tennessee (SB 1875)
  • Texas (HB 318)
  • Texas (SB 100) -- Passed Senate 4/14/11 -- Passed House (no April primary provision) 5/25/11
  • Utah (SB 3004) -- Passed Senate 10/3/11 -- Passed House 10/3/11 -- Signed 10/13/11
  • Virginia (HB 1667) -- Incorporated into HB 1843
  • Virginia (HB 1843) -- Passed House 2/8/11 -- Passed Senate 2/18/11 -- Signed 3/25/11
  • Virginia (SB 1246) -- Passed Senate 2/1/11 -- Passed House 2/15/11 -- Signed 3/25/11
  • Washington (HB 1324)
  • Washington (HB 1860) -- Passed House 3/5/11
  • Washington (SB 5119) -- Passed Senate 4/6/11 -- Passed House 4/19/11 -- Signed 5/12/11
  • Wisconsin (AB 162)
  • Wisconsin (SB 115) -- Passed Senate 6/8/11 -- Passed Assembly 9/13/11 -- Signed 9/30/11


    • Posted by Josh Putnam at 2:00 PM
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