ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
presidential primary
preference; date change
Moves the date of the
presidential preference election from the fourth Tuesday to the second Tuesday in
February.
A presidential preference
election provides the qualified electors the opportunity to express their
preference for the presidential candidate of their registered political
party. Each state party selects
delegates to represent its party at the political party national
convention. The delegates to the
national convention are required to use their best efforts at the convention
for the party’s presidential nominee candidate who received the greatest number
of votes in the presidential preference election. After the candidate is nominated, withdraws from the race,
delegates are released or one ballot is taken, the delegates are free to vote
as they choose.
In 1992, the Legislature
established the second Tuesday in March as the presidential preference primary
election date (Laws 1992, Chapter 255).
Prior to 1992, the presidential preference primary election was
organized and conducted by each state party.
The Legislature further amended the date of the presidential preference
to the fourth Tuesday in February in 1995 (Laws 1995, Chapter 248).
In January 2002, the
Democratic National Committee approved an accelerated schedule for the
presidential primaries in 2004. Under
the new schedule, the Democratic Party will be allowed to schedule democratic
primaries as early as the first Tuesday in February. The Republican National Committee has not taken a position on the
schedule for the presidential preference election.
There is no fiscal impact to
the state general fund associated with this legislation.
1. Moves the date of the presidential preference election from the fourth Tuesday in February to the second Tuesday in February of each year that there is a presidential election.
2. Makes technical changes.
3. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 7, 2002