On April 17, the Florida Senate Ethics & Elections Committee passed SB1010, to provide a presidential primary a week after the New Hampshire primary.

The Senate Committee amended the bill so that it includes funding to eliminate electronic vote-counting machines that don’t have a paper trail. The Senate and the Governor have been fighting to eliminate machines with no paper trail, and have been concerned that the House doesn’t support that goal. Since the House is adamantly in favor of the January 29 presidential primary, the combined bill is likely to achieve both objectives (the early primary and the elimination of paperless machines).

New Hampshire’s primary is currently set for January 22, but there are some hints that New Hampshire may move it to an even earlier date. Some Florida elections officials are worried that if the Florida bill passes, and then New Hampshire makes a last-minute decision to move its date, that Florida elections procedures aren’t flexible enough to cope with the sudden last-minute date change.