Primary Colors

Democrats and Republicans have difficulty agreeing on anything these days so it was with some relief that I read yesterday that the two parties have come to agreement on holding a single primary at a later date, April 3^rd. All other dates are moved back as well.

For instance, these are some new deadline for events before and after the April 3^rd primary:

• February 1, 2012 - New residency deadline for candidates seeking election to the Texas House and Texas Senate.
• February 1, 2012, 6:00pm - New deadline of court-ordered reopened filing period, in which candidates for all offices have the opportunity to amend, withdraw or file a new application for the ballot.
• February 3, 2012 - New deadline for County Executive Committees to conduct drawing for candidate order on ballot.
• April 3, 2012 - Date of the 2012 General Primary Election.
• April 14 or April 21, 2012 - Date of County and Senatorial District Conventions, as determined by the State Chair of each political party.
• June 5, 2012 - Date of the 2012 General Primary Runoff Election.

That last one gives me a little pause. A June runoff date? It’s true enough that when I lived in California, which had a June primary for years, that late of a date didn’t keep me from voting, but this is a primary runoff, a totally different animal.

In a primary runoff a person can get elected if his extended family all show up at the polls. And in the Republican primary next year we have 4 who will vie for Fort Bend County Sheriff as the current sheriff has announced his retirement. That race is bound to go to runoff.

Democrats won’t have that problem as only one candidate has filed (so far).

An actual hero.