The Latest on a bill moving California's presidential primary to March (all times local):

California lawmakers have voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation's most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved early Saturday will now go to Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration. He has not said if he will sign it.

California's 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on "Super Tuesday," the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state.

The California Assembly has voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation's most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved Friday will now go to the state Senate where it's expected to pass.

California's 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on "Super Tuesday," the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state. </s> SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly has voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation’s most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved Friday will now go to the state Senate where it’s expected to pass.

California’s 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on “Super Tuesday,” the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state. </s> The California Assembly has voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation’s most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved Friday will now go to the state Senate where it’s expected to pass. Gov. Jerry Brown has not said whether he’ll sign it.

The bill would move the presidential primary to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March — three months earlier than the June contest held in 2016, when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were already the presumptive nominees.

A March primary would likely fall on so-called “Super Tuesday,” when roughly a dozen states typically vote following the early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and several other states. – READ MORE </s> California politicians have voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the US’s most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved early on Saturday will now go to Governor Jerry Brown for consideration. He has not said if he will sign it.

California’s 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on “Super Tuesday”, the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state. </s> SAN FRANCISCO ― California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill Wednesday moving the state’s presidential primary from June to March, a change geared toward increasing the influence of the nation’s most populous state in selecting presidential nominees.

Senate Bill 568, the “Prime Time Primary” bill, written by state Sen. Richard Lara (D-Bell Gardens), would move presidential and statewide primary elections to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, on what is typically known as Super Tuesday, when many other states also hold nominating contests. California had held its primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June.

The new schedule will go into effect in 2019, setting California up to be one of the first states in the nation to cast ballots in the 2020 race.

Lara and other proponents of the bill hope that by moving the race to primary season’s “prime time,” Californians will have more say in the process. They’ve cited the 2016 primary, when both the Democratic and Republican nominations were all but formally locked up by the time California voted, as an example of why the change would benefit the state’s voters.

“Moving California’s presidential primary to March from June means candidates in both parties can’t treat immigration, climate change, criminal justice reform and investing in jobs and innovation like afterthoughts, as they did too often in 2016,” Lara said in a statement after the bill passed the state Assembly. “The prime-time primary will lift up the voices of Californians on issues where we are leading the nation if not the world.”

California is an overwhelmingly Democratic state ― roughly 45 percent of state voters are registered as Democrats, versus 26 percent as Republicans. In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton received 61.5 percent of the state’s votes to 31.5 percent for Donald Trump.

The bill’s proponents also argued that moving the primary up will engage more voters and increase turnout. They’ve pointed to 2008 — when California moved its primary to February and saw the highest turnout since 1980 — as an example of how an earlier election could increase interest. (California’s Legislature moved the primary back to June in 2011.)

“Too often California is relegated to serving as a political ATM for presidential candidates,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D), a sponsor of the bill, said in September. “Moving up California’s primary will strengthen the voice of California voters in the presidential nominating process.” </s> The measure puts the state’s primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, often known as “Super Tuesday,” when as many as a dozen states hold nominating contests. It will still fall after the earliest caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In 2016, California held its primary in June when Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were already the major party nominees. California typically awards the most delegates.

The state moved its presidential primary to February in 2008, but the shift did not exert influence on the Democratic side. Clinton won the state’s primary, but Barack Obama went on to capture the party’s nomination.

The change also pushes California’s primary for state offices to March.

The Democratic and Republican national committees have not set rules for the 2020 contest yet. The parties set a calendar as well as how many delegates each state is awarded.

California received extra delegates for holding a late primary in 2016 and likewise could be punished in 2020 for moving up the election. </s> Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday to move up California's 2020 presidential primary in a bid to give the nation's most populous state more sway in choosing the Republican and Democratic nominees.

Holding an earlier primary in California, which is expensive to campaign in, could shake up the nominating contests by giving an earlier edge to candidates with more money. The state is home to 11 media markets.

The measure puts the state's primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, often known as "Super Tuesday," when as many as a dozen states hold nominating contests. It will still fall after the earliest caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In 2016, California held its primary in June when Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were already the major party nominees. California typically awards the most delegates.

The state moved its presidential primary to February in 2008, but the shift did not exert influence on the Democratic side. Clinton won the state's primary, but Barack Obama went on to capture the party's nomination.

The change also pushes California's primary for state offices to March.

The Democratic and Republican national committees have not set rules for the 2020 contest yet. The parties set a calendar as well as how many delegates each state is awarded.

California received extra delegates for holding a late primary in 2016 and likewise could be punished in 2020 for moving up the election. </s> Story highlights California's presidential primary could be on Super Tuesday in 2020

California's argument: The state has taken a leading role in the Democratic resistance

(CNN) California is poised to make a big move up in the primary calendar -- dramatically changing the dynamics of a 2020 race now in its earliest stages.

State lawmakers are expected to vote Friday on a bill that would move California's primary to the beginning of March -- right after Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina on the calendar.

That would likely put California's contest on Super Tuesday -- turning the date into a massive delegate haul that could effectively seal the Democratic presidential nomination.

Their argument: The state has taken a leading role in the Democratic resistance to President Donald Trump -- and it ought to have a similarly hefty role in selecting the nominee to face him in 2020.

"California is the most populous state in the nation, the most diverse state in the nation and has the largest economy of any state in the nation. And we ought to have a significant say in who the nominees for president are," said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a leading advocate of the change.

Read More </s> In an attempt to increase California’s influence over the country’s presidential primaries, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Wednesday afternoon legislation that moves the state’s presidential primary date forward by several months.

This means that California’s next primary will be held on March 3, 2020, placing it fourth in the caucus and primary line after Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Though California won’t be the only state voting on that date, because of its size, it will certainly be the most influential.

“We have a greater responsibility and a greater role to promote a different sort of agenda at the national level,” said state senator Ricardo Lara, one of the law’s authors, to the Los Angeles Times. “We need to have a greater influence at the national level.”

California’s last presidential primary was held on June 7, 2016, by which point then-candidate Donald Trump had already clinched enough delegates to secure the GOP nomination. The law, which had bipartisan support in the state legislature, is intended to make California less of an afterthought during the presidential primary process. Lawmakers hope moving the primary date forward will force candidates to actively campaign in California—instead of treating the state as a fundraising piggybank.

There’s also wide speculation that the bill could help some potential California candidates in the Democratic party’s 2020 primary, notably Senator Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Moving the state’s primary forward means the state will lose 70 delegates at the next Democratic National Convention. In the past, the DNC has offered California a 70-delegate incentive to keep the notoriously difficult-to-campaign-in state from holding its primary until late in the nomination process. Even so, California will remain the heaviest state in the primary process.

“The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement. “California’s primary will officially be in prime time. Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.”
California passes a bill that will move the primaries to March near Super Tuesday.