On January 21, the Arkansas House Stage Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee passed HB 1021 unanimously. The bill moves the presidential primary from February to May.

Arkansas law provides that newly qualifying parties may have a presidential primary, although not a primary for other office. Moving the presidential primary to May increases the likelihood that most newly-qualifying parties will qualify in time to have their own presidential primary. However, there aren’t usually many newly-qualifying parties in Arkansas. The only ones that have qualified for full party status in the last 35 years have been the Reform Party and the Green Party.