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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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SUPER-PRIMARIES MAKES SENSE The primary season is behind us and the 2008 presidential election is still off in the distant future, but that didn’t stop our state legislators from tweaking the electoral process. Earlier this week, a bill passed the New Jersey Assembly that seeks to increase the importance of our vote. Most people don’t vote in primaries. In Atlantic Highlands, about 250 people exercised their right to vote in both the Democrat and Republican primaries. If there hadn’t been a contested Republican race, the turnout would have been far lower. On Monday, the Assembly passed a bill that would move the presidential primary from the first Tuesday in June to the last Tuesday in February. In recent presidential elections, the nomination in both parties has been locked up by the time June rolls around. States like New Hampshire and Iowa, with significantly less population, have been dictating the presidential candidates. The move to February does not come without costs. According to legislative analysts, the move will cost the state $10.3 million in 2008 and $11 million in 2012. We would also be asked to return to the polls in June to vote for state and local candidates. Assuming the bill passes the State Senate and becomes law, how long will it take before other states react and start moving their primaries earlier? The national interest will not be served if fifty states start jockeying for the earliest position. Our state lawmakers are right in elevating New Jersey’s stature, but it makes far more sense to coordinate these efforts either regionally with our neighboring states or sitting down with the Presidential election commission and drawing up a comprehensive primary plan for our nation.
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