California Governor Gerry Brown signed a bill that would change the date of the state’s primary election in 2020.
Gov. Brown supported the objective of the state legislature to make California more relevant during the campaign period.
Under newly-enacted SB 568, California will hold its primary for presidential and non-presidential elections in March 2020. The state traditionally holds its primary June thus its schedule is at the end of the presidential primary schedule.
California legislators believe that the original primary schedule reduces the state’s influence in the presidential nomination process. The state is populous and diverse. It has 19.4 million registered voters thus it can shape the national debate on important issues. It has also a unique stake in the selection of presidential nominees.
SB 568 gives California voters a more powerful voice
In a statement, State Senator Ricardo Lara said the law “puts California voters in the front seat on choosing our next president.” He believes the law will make the elections “better.”
