HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania's House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to move up the state’s 2024 presidential primary election by three weeks, but disagreements have arisen with Republican senators who wanted an even earlier date.
The effort to move up the primary date from April 23 — the date set in law — is driven primarily to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Passover. The idea has bi-partisan support, but lawmakers can’t seem to agree on a final version.
Critics say moving up the primary date will create chaos for county election administrators and that Jewish voters who observe Passover can vote early by mail.
Philadelphia Democrat Malcolm Kenyatta’s bill, which would move Pennsylvania’s primary to the first Tuesday in April in presidential election years, narrowly passed the House, 102-100, with every Democrat voting “yes” and every Republican voting “no.”
Its future is uncertain in the state Senate, which was scheduled to reconvene Oct. 16.
Senate Republicans have pushed a second bill to move up the primary election date to the third Tuesday of March, saying that would give voters in the battleground state more of a say in deciding presidential nominees.
However, critics also say moving up the primary by five weeks would help protect incumbent lawmakers by giving primary challengers less time to prepare.
That bill passed the Senate two weeks ago, but it failed in the House — 26 in favor, 177 against — after more than an hour-and-a-half of debate punctuated by frequent procedural challenges.
Republican leader Bryan Cutler called it a failure of Democratic leadership.
“I think when you look at what they did, it's really — it’s legislative games for the sake of politics. It's all about who gets credit and who gets blamed,” Cutler said.
Earlier in the week, the Senate version of the bill was amended on the floor — by Republicans — to include voter ID requirements, which Democrats largely oppose. Then, in a late-night Appropriations Committee hearing on the eve of final passage, Democrats rammed through an amendment addressing mail-in ballots.
“The horrendous amendment added at the 11th hour in the Appropriations Committee last night is a poison pill to this bill. And we all know it,” said House Republican whip Tim O’Neal.
House Democratic leader Matt Bradford pointed the finger back at Republicans, saying they’re the ones who stirred up election conspiracies, making it hard to pass meaningful election reform.
“And then you sit there in the most sanctimonious way and say, ‘I don't understand why people are worked up.’ That's what happens when you engage in election lies,” Bradford bellowed.
“No matter what side you come down on, understand about how we wound up here. Be honest about how amendments got into this bill and didn't get into this bill and recognize the difficult work ahead to put faith back in our elections.”
Bradford has filed a motion to reconsider the Senate version.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.