Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation on Tuesday that moves primary elections for state and local offices from July to May 20, the earliest date for the contests in Georgia’s recorded history.
House Bill 310 was put on the fast track after a federal judge last year ordered the state to move its federal primary to May 20 to allow for at least 45 days of absentee voting by military and overseas voters. It's the first legislation signed by Deal this legislative session.
Lawmakers wanted to sync state and county offices with the federal contests to spare extra the expense of setting up another round of votes, and the Secretary of State's office is already bracing for changes.
The earlier primaries are seen as a wild card in a busy election season. Setting the vote before summer vacation could drive up turnout and diminish the impact of die-hard partisan voters who showed up in the dog days of summer. It also forces candidates to ratchet up their get-out-the-vote efforts earlier than usual.
The legislation sets the primary runoff for July 22 and the general election runoff for Dec. 2, four weeks after the Nov. 4 general election date. A runoff in a federal race would be held Jan. 6, nine weeks after the general election.
Deal said in a statement that he signed the legislation quickly to ensure candidates can prepare.
“Given the federal mandate that we move up our primary date for federal elections, this is the best move for voters’ time and taxpayers’ money,” he said.
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