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Senate Dems propose change in primary date

Dec 31, 2013 12:15 am
Senate Democrats have proposed moving the 2014 Primary Election day for state offices to June from September. The state Senate Democratic Conference announced in a statement released Mon., Dec. 30, it has introduced a bill to hold a single primary election for both state and federal offices on the same day. The bill would save state and local governments an estimated $50 million, according to Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk (KAT-chik), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Elections Committee, said requiring local governments to pay for two separate primary elections is "an unconscionable and wasteful mandate." The proposed legislation would also bring the state into compliance with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act. That law enacted certain requirements for federal elections to accommodate service members overseas and other Americans living abroad.