SENATOR UMBERG INTRODUCES LEGISLATION MOVING NON-PRESIDENTIAL YEAR PRIMARIES TO JUNE

(Sacramento, CA) – Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the California State Senate Elections Committee, announced today that he will introduce legislation that will move non-presidential year primaries back to June.

“Non-Presidential primaries should be set to their traditional date of June,” said Senator Umberg. “We need to set our elections on dates that will maximize voter turnout and engagement.”

By moving the non-presidential primary to June, it will return California to the traditional midterm primary date. Campaigns and voters alike will not experience an unnecessarily elongated election cycle because the gap between the primary and the general election will be five months rather than eight months if it is left in March.

In addition, California will be redistricting boundaries for federal, state, and local offices starting in 2021. If California does not return the non-presidential primary to June, local officials will have a limited timeline to take in public input and finalize district maps.

“The redistricting process and its relation to the 2022 primary present a unique set of circumstances and by moving the non-presidential primary back to June we will be providing local government enough time to complete their required work.” said Senator Umberg.

This proposal will be included in Senator Umberg’s bill, Senate Bill 970, in the coming weeks.  A fact sheet for SB 970 is attached.

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Senator Thomas J. Umberg represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Orange, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal prosecutor, and small businessman. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.