House favors earlier primary

05/09/2003

By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – The House voted Thursday to hold Texas primary elections one week earlier, a change supporters said would increase voter participation, save money and pump up the state's influence in presidential nominations.

The measure by Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, co-authored by 127 of 150 House members, would shift the elections from the second to the first Tuesday in March in even-numbered years.

"The primary purpose of this bill is to allow more people to vote," Mr. Branch said.

The bill puts the primary outside of spring break, allowing voters who travel out of town on vacation to participate in elections without early voting, he said.

Also, Mr. Branch said, the measure would save the costs of opening schools for elections during spring break, which cost the Dallas Independent School District an extra $20,000 in 2002.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

The measure promises to especially increase the role of Texas Democrats in presidential selection, because the state would be voting on the same date as the Democratic strongholds of New York and California.

According to an analysis by House staff, opposition to the bill argued that an earlier primary would create a longer general election campaign season, stretching candidates' resources thin.

Those same arguments were behind failed efforts in 1997 and 1995 to move Texas primaries to May.