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NH Primary Source: GOP effort to move state primary election from September to June gains momentum

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AdvertisementSecretary of State Gardner supports keeping primary where it isNH Primary Source: GOP effort to move state primary election from September to June gains momentumSecretary of State Gardner supports keeping primary where it isHide TranscriptShow TranscriptSEAN: WELCOME BACK. A BILL NOW HEADING TO THE HOUSE FLOOR, WOULD MAKE A MAJOR CHANGE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S ELECTION CALENDAR. THE HOUSE ELECTION LAW COMMITTEE APPROVED A BILL TO MAKE THE STATE PRIMARY EARLIER, MOVING IT FROM SEPTEMBER TO JUNE. SUPPORTERS SAY IT WILL GIVE VOTERS MORE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION. OPPONENTS SAY IT WILL FORCE CAMPAIGNS TO LAUNCH EVEN EARLIER IN THE STATE’S ALREAdvertisementNH Primary Source: GOP effort to move state primary election from September to June gains momentumSecretary of State Gardner supports keeping primary where it isNew Hampshire Primary Source gives you breaking and behind-the-scenes political news by John DiStaso, the most experienced political writer in the state and a recipient of a New Hampshire Press Association Lifetime Achievement Award. To sign up for WMUR's weekly New Hampshire Primary Source and political email newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox on Thursday at 6 a.m., click here.MOVING THE STATE PRIMARY ELECTION? Since 1910, New Hampshire has held its state primary elections – not to be confused with the presidential primary – on the second Tuesday of SeptemberThat’s just seven or eight weeks ahead of the November election, crunching the general election campaign into a sprint that often draws the complaints of political party officials and sometimes candidates themselves that it's just not enough time.Secretary of State Bill Gardner likes the primary right where it is. He says it helps turnout to have the primary election after children return to school (in non-pandemic years) and after people return from summer vacations.But House Bill 98 now puts him at odds with the Republican bloc of lawmakers of the House Election Law Committee, all of whom voted Wednesday to support and recommend that the full House pass a bill to move the state primary back to the fourth Tuesday in June.The original bill called for the primary to be held on the first Tuesday in June, but proponents said the fourth Tuesday is preferable because students will have left school for the summer and most families would not yet have gone on vacation.The vote to move the state primary was strictly along partisan lines, however. While all 11 Republicans voted in favor, all nine Democrats opposed it. The top Democrat on the panel asked the committee to retain the bill and work on it in an effort to arrive at a unified position.The filing period under the new version of the bill would begin on the fourth Wednesday of April and conclude on the Friday of the following week.“This is a major change and I think it’s a change that benefits both parties,” said the sponsor, Rep. Fenton Groen, R-Rochester. “It gives them an opportunity to coalesce behind the chosen candidate during a period that is more than the seven or eight weeks that we have.”He also noted that there are relatively few primaries for House and Senate seats. But Gardner told WMUR in an interview after the vote that this is far from the first time efforts have been made to move the primary forward.He said it would hurt turnout to hold the primary as the summer gets underway, as opposed to when it is over and voters are preparing for the fall.Gardner also said that with two-year terms for governor and other state offices, New Hampshire is unique. He said he could envision a situation in which candidates are announcing their candidacies for reelection after being in office for less than a year.“I’ve always supported the September date,” Gardner said, “and any effort to move it, I’ve not been supportive of over the years.”Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester, disagreed with Gardner’s view that a June primary would result in lower turnout.Berry cited a recent University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll. In the poll, 86 percent of said that changing the date of the primary election to June would make no difference in whether they vote in the primary. House Deputy Democratic Leader David Cote, the top committee Democrat, asked the committee to retain the bill and work on a comprehensive plan that both parties can support.Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, the executive director of the NHGOP and a cosponsor, said changing the date of the primary will not change the way candidates campaign.“The crunch time for the campaign was always the last two weeks before the election. That doesn’t change under this bill. That’s just a practical component of campaigning. A 45-day window before the election is usually the time people are campaigning,” Sweeney said.The bill moves to the full House with an "ought-to-pass" recommendation by the committee.VOTING BILLS RETAINED. A group of bills whose Republican supporters say are aimed at ensuring that only Granite State residents are eligible to vote in the state were pulled back and retained Wednesday by the GOP majority on the influential House Election Law Committee. Click here.FORENSIC AUDIT APPROVED. The House Election Law Committee on Wednesday approved and sent to the full House legislation outlining a full, detailed forensic audit by a team of experts of the results of the Nov. 3 election results in the town of Windham. Click here.HARRISON TO SPEAK TO NH DEMOCRATS. As New Hampshire Democrats gather remotely on Sunday to hear the results of the contested race for party chair, their national leader will make an appearance to press for a unified effort heading into the 2022 midterm election campaign. Click here.SOLDATI’S ‘JOYFUL’ GATHERING. With the voting for New Hampshire Democratic Party chair closing 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, challenger Emmett Soldati promises “another joyful virtual gathering” of his supporters on Friday night. Click here.A SUNUNU LOSES. Going local – very local – there was an interesting race for a seat on the Winnicunnet School Board this week. Click here.LETTER SENT. The four top Democrats in the state Legislature are asking the executive director of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) to make public details of the CARES Act COVID-19 relief expenditures that have been made over the past several months. Click here.AFP-NH ENDORSEMENT. Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire says it will devote its grassroots and digital organizing capabilities to help Republican Bill Boyd in his campaign for the New Hampshire House seat in Merrimack that was left vacant by the death of House Speaker Dick Hinch in December. Click here.BUILDING A STAFF. After announcing the hiring of a finance director last week, the state Republican Party has now brought on a press secretary. Click here.HONORING HASSAN. Sen. Maggie Hassan was among a group of legislators to receive a Legislative Action Award from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, on Wednesday night. Click here.(Follow John DiStaso on Twitter: @jdistaso)New Hampshire Primary Source gives you breaking and behind-the-scenes political news by John DiStaso, the most experienced political writer in the state and a recipient of a New Hampshire Press Association Lifetime Achievement Award. To sign up for WMUR's weekly New Hampshire Primary Source and political email newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox on Thursday at 6 a.m., .MOVING THE STATE PRIMARY ELECTION? Since 1910, New Hampshire has held its state primary elections – not to be confused with the presidential primary – on the second Tuesday of SeptemberAdvertisementThat’s just seven or eight weeks ahead of the November election, crunching the general election campaign into a sprint that often draws the complaints of political party officials and sometimes candidates themselves that it's just not enough time.Secretary of State Bill Gardner likes the primary right where it is. He says it helps turnout to have the primary election after children return to school (in non-pandemic years) and after people return from summer vacations.But House Bill 98 now puts him at odds with the Republican bloc of lawmakers of the House Election Law Committee, all of whom voted Wednesday to support and recommend that the full House pass a bill to move the state primary back to the fourth Tuesday in June.The original bill called for the primary to be held on the first Tuesday in June, but proponents said the fourth Tuesday is preferable because students will have left school for the summer and most families would not yet have gone on vacation.The vote to move the state primary was strictly along partisan lines, however. While all 11 Republicans voted in favor, all nine Democrats opposed it. The top Democrat on the panel asked the committee to retain the bill and work on it in an effort to arrive at a unified position.The filing period under the new version of the bill would begin on the fourth Wednesday of April and conclude on the Friday of the following week.“This is a major change and I think it’s a change that benefits both parties,” said the sponsor, Rep. Fenton Groen, R-Rochester. “It gives them an opportunity to coalesce behind the chosen candidate during a period that is more than the seven or eight weeks that we have.”He also noted that there are relatively few primaries for House and Senate seats. But Gardner told WMUR in an interview after the vote that this is far from the first time efforts have been made to move the primary forward.He said it would hurt turnout to hold the primary as the summer gets underway, as opposed to when it is over and voters are preparing for the fall.Gardner also said that with two-year terms for governor and other state offices, New Hampshire is unique. He said he could envision a situation in which candidates are announcing their candidacies for reelection after being in office for less than a year.“I’ve always supported the September date,” Gardner said, “and any effort to move it, I’ve not been supportive of over the years.”Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester, disagreed with Gardner’s view that a June primary would result in lower turnout.Berry cited a recent . In the poll, 86 percent of said that changing the date of the primary election to June would make no difference in whether they vote in the primary. House Deputy Democratic Leader David Cote, the top committee Democrat, asked the committee to retain the bill and work on a comprehensive plan that both parties can support.Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, the executive director of the NHGOP and a cosponsor, said changing the date of the primary will not change the way candidates campaign.“The crunch time for the campaign was always the last two weeks before the election. That doesn’t change under this bill. That’s just a practical component of campaigning. A 45-day window before the election is usually the time people are campaigning,” Sweeney said.The bill moves to the full House with an "ought-to-pass" recommendation by the committee.VOTING BILLS RETAINED. A group of bills whose Republican supporters say are aimed at ensuring that only Granite State residents are eligible to vote in the state were pulled back and retained Wednesday by the GOP majority on the influential House Election Law Committee. .FORENSIC AUDIT APPROVED. The House Election Law Committee on Wednesday approved and sent to the full House legislation outlining a full, detailed forensic audit by a team of experts of the results of the Nov. 3 election results in the town of Windham. .HARRISON TO SPEAK TO NH DEMOCRATS. As New Hampshire Democrats gather remotely on Sunday to hear the results of the contested race for party chair, their national leader will make an appearance to press for a unified effort heading into the 2022 midterm election campaign. .SOLDATI’S ‘JOYFUL’ GATHERING. With the voting for New Hampshire Democratic Party chair closing 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, challenger Emmett Soldati promises “another joyful virtual gathering” of his supporters on Friday night. .A SUNUNU LOSES. Going local – very local – there was an interesting race for a seat on the Winnicunnet School Board this week. .LETTER SENT. The four top Democrats in the state Legislature are asking the executive director of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) to make public details of the CARES Act COVID-19 relief expenditures that have been made over the past several months. .AFP-NH ENDORSEMENT. Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire says it will devote its grassroots and digital organizing capabilities to help Republican Bill Boyd in his campaign for the New Hampshire House seat in Merrimack that was left vacant by the death of House Speaker Dick Hinch in December. .BUILDING A STAFF. After announcing the hiring of a finance director last week, the state Republican Party has now brought on a press secretary. .HONORING HASSAN. Sen. Maggie Hassan was among a group of legislators to receive a Legislative Action Award from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, on Wednesday night. .(Follow John DiStaso on Twitter: @jdistaso)Loading more articles...

AdvertisementSecretary of State Gardner supports keeping primary where it isNH Primary Source: GOP effort to move state primary election from September to June gains momentumSecretary of State Gardner supports keeping primary where it isHide TranscriptShow TranscriptSEAN: WELCOME BACK. A BILL NOW HEADING TO THE HOUSE FLOOR, WOULD MAKE A MAJOR CHANGE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S ELECTION CALENDAR. THE HOUSE ELECTION LAW COMMITTEE APPROVED A BILL TO MAKE THE STATE PRIMARY EARLIER, MOVING IT FROM SEPTEMBER TO JUNE. SUPPORTERS SAY IT WILL GIVE VOTERS MORE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION....

NH Primary Source: GOP effort to move state primary election from September to June gains momentum

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