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.
CONTACT: Debbie Diaz Williams @ (916) 319-2022
