(Host) Governor Jim Douglas says Democrats are playing politics as they consider moving up the date of next year’s primary election.
But Democratic Secretary of State Deb Markowitz – who is also running for governor – says the goal is to make sure Vermont soldiers serving overseas can cast their ballots.
VPR’s John Dillon reports:
(Dillon) A new law pssed by Congress says states have to send out absentee ballots to overseas voters at least 45 days before the November election.
That timetable could make it difficult for Vermont to stick to the scheduled primary date of September 14th and still get the ballots out in time.
In January, the Democratically controlled Legislature will consider moving the primary up to August 24th.
But Douglas says there are alternatives, such as seeking a waiver from the federal government. With at least four Democrats running for governor, Douglas says the candidates want an earlier primary so they can have a longer general election campaign.
(Douglas) "Some of these folks were trying to move the primary last year even before the new Defense Authorization Act was passed by the Congress. It’s now an additional convenient argument. But it’s no secret that some of the Democratic candidates want to have a longer general election campaign in order to presumably unite behind a nominee after a fractious primary."
(Dillon) Secretary of State Deb Markowitz is one of the four announced candidates in her party’s gubernatorial primary campaign.
But Markowitz says she’s advocated for an earlier primary for years.
(Markowitz) "So this isn’t new. Every two years we come with a bill asking the legislature to move the primary. The difference right now is the federal government is saying you should have 45 days for ballot transit."
(Dillon) Markowitz says the September primary is a tradition in Vermont politics. But she says it’s not practical, especially now that more than a thousand Vermonters will be serving in Afghanistan next year.
(Markowitz) "And this is something we can do pretty quickly. It’s a culture change. People can argue about the politics. But the bottom line is that our military is overseas fighting for our country. We have to make sure they have an opportunity to vote."
(Dillon) But Douglas says Vermonters would rather see shorter campaigns. He says the state should explore other options to moving up the date of the primary.
For VPR News, I’m John Dillon in Montpelier.