SACRAMENTO -
Assemblymember Paul Fong's (D-Cupertino) presidential primary bill
passed the Assembly with a 75-0 vote. Assembly Bill (AB) 80 will save
money, increase voter turnout, and ensure California law is in
compliance with national party rules.
"Eliminating the state's
stand-alone presidential primary and consolidating it with other
elections will save the state and local governments almost a hundred
million dollars at a time when every penny counts," said Assemblymember
Fong. "In addition, having two primaries in one year discourages voters
because it causes voter fatigue. As a result, consolidating primary
elections will increase voter participation in the state's electoral
process."
Historically, states have jockeyed for an earlier
primary in order to gain more influence on the selection of
presidential candidates. California, for example, moved its 2008
presidential primary up to February 5th, but by the time voters cast
their ballots, 33 other states had also moved up their presidential
primaries. Fifteen states held their presidential primary on the same
day as California, limiting California's influence on the selection of
presidential candidates.
As a result of the earlier primary
date, however, California held 3 separate statewide elections in 2008,
imposing a burden on our electorate and costing the state and local
governments almost $100 million dollars. In addition, the national
political parties adopted rules that prohibit presidential primary
elections from occurring prior to the first Tuesday in March. Current
California law is out of compliance with these new rules.
Specifically,
AB 80 requires the presidential primary to be held on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in June of each year evenly divisible by the
number four and requires the presidential primary election to be
consolidated with the statewide direct primary that is held in that
year.
Assemblymember Fong serves as Chair of the Elections and
Redistricting Committee and is a member of the Higher Education,
Utilities and Commerce, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committees. In
addition, Assemblymember Fong serves as Chair of the Select Committee
on High Technology and is a member of the Select Committees on
Aerospace, Biotechnology, Community Colleges, Domestic Violence, and
Innovation and the Bay Area Economy. He represents Cupertino, Mountain
View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose.