HOUSE VOTES TO MOVE PRIMARY ELECTION TO APRIL 16

The Pennsylvania House has passed another bill to move the state’s primary election to an earlier date, this time to April 16^th.

The bill passed by a 104-99 margin, not only moves the election day up one week, but it also adds school property tax language into the bill, according to Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman.  Both State Representatives Jim Struzzi and Brian Smith voted against the bill.

In his own statement, Pittman said that the bill’s amendments were causing “confusion and delay” and that the efforts to change the date were “too little too late.”  Under state law, the primary was scheduled for April 23^rd, which is in the middle of the Jewish holiday of Passover.  Pittman reiterated that conversation on the election date has ended in the senate after the “Republican majority worked in timely fashion, in good faith and in a bipartisan manner with Senate Democrats” to move the primary

The original bill from the senate that was approved September 20^th would move the primary election to March 19^th was overwhelmingly approved by a 45-2 vote.  The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania has repeatedly said that if the election date is moved, it would not give them enough time to set up for the primary.