LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Will Michigan be one of the first states to pick presidential candidates? That’s what was discussed in the Michigan House Tuesday afternoon as they worked to decide if our state should change its voting date for the primary presidential election.
This all comes after President Biden’s proposal to switch up the order in which states vote in the primary election first.
Right now it’s Iowa and New Hampshire, but the president says those states do not reflect the diversity of America.
Michigan is one of several states looking to move to the front of the line. 56 voted yay, and 53 voted nay.
Democrats and Republicans have not been seeing eye to eye on Senate Bill 13.
Democrats want Michigan to be the fifth state in the U.S. to have its primary presidential election for the same reason the president does when it comes to voter representation.
Some republicans argued that moving the date to February will discourage voters to get to the polls due to the weather, and they are worried about the impact it could have on election clerks.
“They have to mail out the ballots. Right in the middle when all of the post offices distributed their Christmas cards. I can’t imagine a worst time to look at somebody and say ‘You make $18,000 a year so guess what? You get to miss all of the holidays with your family,” said Republican Representative Phil Green.
“It makes perfect sense for the presidential primary to take place earlier in our state. That way voices from all backgrounds and all different lived experiences can be heard,” said Democratic Representative Carrie Rheingans.
Voters in states who vote earlier normally have five times the influence on deciding the nominee for president, and those states usually see economic growth as candidates, and media flock to those states during election time.
February 27th, 2024 could be primary election day. But since 2/3 of the house did not agree on this, there is no guarantee the changes will take immediate effect.
