politics

Ifat first you don't succeed ...

DFL legislative leaders will try again this session to move the state's primary election from September to August, even though Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed such a shift last year.

This time around, however, an earlier primary date is being prompted by a new federal law that all but mandates it.

A massive defense spending bill signed into law last year contains a provision that requires states to give overseas voters -- including those in the military -- at least 45 days to mail back their general election ballots this fall.

In the 2008 election, about 11,400 Minnesotans cast ballots from overseas in the general election. About 4 percent of those came back too late to be counted, according to the Minnesota secretary of state's office.

Minnesota's current election schedule, with its September primary, would make it nearly impossible for the state to comply with the law.

Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Friday that despite the earlier veto, Pawlenty "supports moving the primary election in order to meet the new federal requirements."

Legislative leaders proposed a bill Friday that would set the primary for Aug. 10 instead of Sept. 14.

Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, and Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, say they have bipartisan support for the bill and believe it will move quickly through the legislative process. They appeared at a Capitol news conference Friday with Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley, one of the bill's co-sponsors.

Unlike last year, the bill is a stand-alone measure unattached to any other election-law changes, the sponsors said.

The bill got its first Senate hearing Friday and will be heard in a House committee meeting Tuesday.

Backers hope to push the bill through the Legislature quickly, giving election administrators time to adjust their schedules.

Supporters have argued that a summer primary would be beneficial, forcing candidates to campaign among delegates to endorsing conventions and primary voters at the same time.

But an earlier primary also could diminish the clout of political parties' endorsements, which is why it has long been resisted by legislators and party insiders.

It's unclear what effect the shift might have on voter turnout -- already relatively light -- by moving the primary into the heart of Minnesotans' vacation season.

Bob von Sternberg • 612-763-7184