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Gov. Jim Douglas says he won’t veto a bill that moves the primary election date up three weeks – from Sept. 14 to August 24. The Republican governor, who has opposed passage of S.117 since it was proposed by Democrats in the Legislature last session, said he will leave the bill unsigned.
The Legislature is expected to move ahead with final passage of S.117 this week.
Douglas said the spirit of cooperation between the administration and the Legislature is important to protect as the two branches of government grapple with the budget deficit. He explained that he didn’t want to impede progress on the second phase of Challenges for Change legislation.
“Compared with what we need to deal with (the budget deficit) this is a fringe issue,” Douglas said.
