Friday, November 13, 1998

Primary date is one priority for Legislature

The 76th Texas Legislature doesn't convene until Jan. 12, but lawmakers are already busy filing hundreds of bills, many of which won't even receive serious consideration and most of which won't be passed.

One that deserves consideration and passage is Austin Rep. Sherri Greenburg's proposal to move primary elections in Texas from March back to May.

The switch from May to March was supposed to give Texas more clout in presidential campaigns by joining with other Southern states in a Super Tuesday primary. So far, it hasn't worked out. So many other states have moved up their primaries even earlier that in the 1994 Republican presidential race, Bob Dole had the nomination sewed up before Texas ever got to vote.

While failing to deliver the positive effect, the March primary has generated negative ones. Candidates have to declare, organize, campaign and raise money too early, which favors incumbents seeking re-election and subjects Texas voters to too long and too expensive an election year. With primaries so far ahead of the November election, fewer voters participate. Those who do tend to be on the extremes in each party, which doesn't necessarily put forward the best choices for the general election. Plus, officeholders who lose in a March primary have almost 10 months left to serve without being accountable to voters for their performance in office.

Moving the Texas primaries back to May would improve these deficiencies without forfeiting any advantage.

And when the Legislature considers the move this time, it needs to do so honestly, without the tricks the Texas Senate tried to pull in 1997. After the Texas House OK'd moving the primary date, a Senate committee - filled with incumbents, of course - altered the measure to keep the Jan. 1 filing deadline, which would retain many of the problems inherent in the March primary, most notably the added advantage for incumbents.

With that kind of flaw inserted, it's just as well the 1997 session ended with no conclusive action on moving the primaries. We need to do this and do it right. The 1999 Legislature should make it a priority.