Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our system of government, but they are also expensive to administer and difficult to effectively organize.
To improve Missouri’s elections procedures, the House of Representatives approvedHouse Bill 1936, sponsored by Representative Tony Dugger (R – Hartville), which moves the primary election day from August to the first Tuesday after the third Monday in June beginning in 2016. To accommodate the earlier election date, candidates would file from early January to early February.
Local election officials testified in favor of the bill because it would give them more time to coordinate initiative petitions and prepare for the November general election after the primary election ends. Moreover, if there was a close primary race involving a recount or court battle, a June primary would give the election authorities more time to sort out the issue and citizens more time to vet the candidates.
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Moving the primary to June would also offer voters more time to evaluate the candidates before the general election. During primary elections, candidates generally campaign to members of their own party, but if HB 1936 is passed, every voter would have more opportunities to hear from candidates before casting their ballots in November.
The work done by local elections officials is invaluable, and we must embrace this opportunity to improve Missouri’s elections procedures to make the process more efficient for the citizens of Missouri.