6/1/11 – Wisconsin’s presidential primary would be moved back to April under a new bill from a freshman state lawmaker. Assembly Republican Gary Tauchen of Bonduel has introduced a measure to move the presidential contests from the date of the local primaries in February back to the local general election date on the first Tuesday in April. Wisconsin moved its presidential primary to February in 2004, to try and give the contests more national exposure and attract more White House candidates to the Badger State. But it didn’t work as well as planned, as other states moved their primaries and caucuses ahead of Wisconsin’s February date. Meanwhile, another bill would move the fall partisan primaries from mid-September to the second Tuesday in August. The federal government requires the change, so absentee ballots can be sent to overseas voters in time to be counted.
