(Host) Governor Jim Douglas Vermont will hold primary elections on August 24th.
That’s three weeks earlier than they’d been scheduled.
Douglas opposes the earlier elections. But he says he doesn’t want to provoke a fight with the Legislature by vetoing a bill that reschedules the primary. So he’ll let the bill become law without his signature.
Legislative Democrats say the earlier date is necessary to comply with federal regulations about getting ballots to overseas voters, including National Guard soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.
Douglas says it’s just a political ploy to help Democratic candidates for governor.