On May 27, the Nevada State Senate passed AB 455. It moves the Nevada primary from early September to mid-August. Fortunately, the Senate deleted all the provisions of the bill that force minor parties (which nominate by convention) to nominate their candidates any earlier. The Assembly version of the bill had even required minor parties to certify their presidential candidates by mid-June. The Senate also deleted a provision advancing the deadline for independent candidates. The bill now returns to the Assembly to see if the Assembly agrees with the Senate changes.

AB 455 also eases the deadline for potential candidates to change parties. Existing law won’t let candidates seek a party nomination (major or minor) if they changed parties later than Septemer 1 of the year before the election. The bill moderates that deadline to December 31 of the year before the election.

Credit for improving the bill in the State Senate goes to Janine Hansen of the Constitution Party, who is a full-time lobbyist in the Nevada Capitol.