Missouri House Fails to Pass Bill Reinstating Presidential Primary

Missouri’s Presidential Primary Bill Fails to Pass

Missouri’s state House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would have reinstated the presidential primary on April 26. State Rep. Rudy Veit, a Republican, wrote the bill to restore the primary that was eliminated last year. Despite both Republicans and Democrats in favor of returning to the presidential primary, Veit said there were last-minute challenges among lawmakers. If Veit can recruit 30 supporters, he can call for another vote.

Primaries Favored Over Caucuses

The chairmen for Missouri’s Republican and Democrat parties spoke in favor of the bill, stating that primaries are popular and caucuses exclude a lot of people from participating. State Rep. Peter Merideth, a Democrat, said there were problems with the amendments such as the date of the proposed primary being changed from March to April. The bill was amended to establish that the primary would take place on “the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April.”

• Rep. Michael O’Donnell, a Republican, proposed the amendment with the intent to save money and increase participation in the April municipal elections.
• However, Rep. Peggy McGaugh, a Republican, argued that holding both elections at the same time would raise concerns because a voter would have to request a party ballot to vote in nonpartisan municipal elections.

The bill got 65 votes in support, but 56 representatives from both parties voted in opposition. Thirty-one Democrats voted “present,” and 10 others didn’t vote. The Columbia Missourian reported that House members debated details such as rules about how close election signs and literature should be kept from polling places.

Veit strongly believes that people should have the right to vote and that a presidential primary will get much broader support than a caucus. He’s trying to get a vote to reconsider so they can have a bill that everybody can agree on.