PRINTER'S NO. 3184
No. 583 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY RAMALEY, READSHAW, GIBBONS, CREIGHTON, JAMES, BIANCUCCI, BOYD, CALTAGIRONE, DALEY, FRANKEL, GERGELY, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HORNAMAN, KULA, MANN, McILHATTAN, M. O'BRIEN, PETRONE, RUBLEY, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SWANGER, THOMAS, WALKO, WANSACZ AND YOUNGBLOOD, FEBRUARY 5, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, FEBRUARY 5, 2008
A RESOLUTION 1 Urging the Secretary of State to discuss, coordinate and 2 implement a mutually agreeable, common date for presidential 3 primaries to be held in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, 4 Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, 5 Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and the District of 6 Columbia. 7 WHEREAS, The election of the President and the Vice President 8 of the United States is among the most important civic events in 9 which voters participate; and 10 WHEREAS, The process leading to the nomination of candidates 11 for President and Vice President of the United States should be 12 as open and participatory as possible; and 13 WHEREAS, An alarming number of states are rushing to move 14 their 2008 presidential primary election to an earlier date 15 which, if successful, would result in the most front-loaded 16 presidential nominating calendar in our nation's history; and 17 WHEREAS, The impact of this trend is that most Americans will
1 not have input into choosing their party's presidential nominee 2 and those that do will have inadequate time to make an informed 3 decision about their vote; and 4 WHEREAS, A coordinated, orderly and defined presidential 5 primary electoral schedule would enhance voter participation, 6 strengthen the political process and protect the rights of all 7 states and their citizens; and 8 WHEREAS, To accomplish this goal, the Commonwealth should 9 participate in a rotating regional presidential primary system 10 that divides the country into four regions, holds a rotating 11 schedule of primary elections in March, April, May and June and 12 gives each region an opportunity to vote first every four 13 elections; and 14 WHEREAS, Given the historically important role smaller states 15 have played in the presidential election process in terms of 16 retail politics, New Hampshire and Iowa should be allowed to 17 continue to conduct their primary or caucus prior to the 18 commencement of the rotation schedule; and 19 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth should assume a leadership role on 20 this issue, just as it has done countless times throughout our 21 nation's long history, and attempt to establish a presidential 22 primary system that best protects the voice of each state in the 23 process; therefore be it 24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the 25 Secretary of State to discuss, coordinate and implement a 26 mutually agreeable, common date for presidential primaries to be 27 held in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, 28 New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West 29 Virginia and the District of Columbia. A28L82JKL/20080H0583R3184 - 2 -