On January 31, a subcommittee of the Virginia House Privileges and Elections Committee passed HB 736, to postpone the non-presidential 2012 primary from June 12 to August 7. The bill has an urgency clause. The bill also provides that it won’t take effect if the districts are settled by March 20.

Virginia legislators are worried about the effect on major party candidates if the boundaries of the U.S. House districts are not known soon. So far there is no bill to address the problem that unqualified parties and independent candidates can’t circulate presidential petitions until the U.S. House districts are known. This is because presidential petitions for the general election must carry the names of an elector living in each U.S. House district. Minor parties and independent presidential candidates can’t choose their presidential elector candidates until the boundaries of the districts are known.