HB 2240: Primaries

Summary

• $ Eliminates the blanket primary system of wide voter choice using a simple ballot where voters may vote for candidates for different partisan offices without regard to the party affiliation, if any, of the voter or candidates.
• $ Provides more limited voter choice using multiple ballots, including a separate "party ballot" for each major political party that only includes candidates affiliated with that party for each partisan office and a "traditional ballot" that includes all candidates for each partisan office, including all major party candidates, minor party candidates, and independent candidates.
• $ Allows each voter at a primary to make a confidential choice whether to vote using a "party ballot" of a major political party or a "traditional ballot".
• $ Retains the nature of the primary as a system of nominating party candidates.
• $ Provides that the nominee of a major political party for each partisan office who advances to the general election ballot is the candidate affiliated with that party who receives a plurality of the votes for the office cast at the primary by voters using "party ballots" of that major political party. However, a major political party may adopt a rule allowing votes cast for candidates associated with that party by voters using "traditional ballots" to be added to those cast on its "party ballot" to determine its nominees at the primary.
• $ Requires prominent notification to be made regarding whether or not votes cast using traditional ballots will be added to the votes cast on party ballots to determine each major party's nominees. This notification must be made on:

From the House Bill Analysis (HB 2240), written by the Legislature's nonpartisan staff. Read the full report ↗