LITTLE ROCK — An Arkansas Senate panel has backed a proposal to keep the state's presidential primary in March and continue holding its primary in non-presidential years in May.
The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday endorsed the proposal to continue holding the presidential primary on the first Tuesday in March. The measure would keep the primaries in non-presidential years in late May.
Arkansas temporarily moved its presidential primary for the 2016 election to March. Republican Sen. Trent Garner, the bill's sponsor, said the move helped attract more candidates to the state and it should be a permanent move. The proposal now heads to the full Senate.