The 2022 primary election could be moved up three weeks earlier, if a bill discussed today becomes law. It was one of a number of changes being proposed to make the election process more cost-effective.

Senators held a public hearing on legislation that make a series of changes to certain deadlines and procedures. They were introduced at the request of the Guam Election Commission from suggestions contained in the gec's election comparative analysis report.

One change is to move the primary from the last Saturday in August, to the first.

Acting executive director Elizabeth Santos said, "Conducting the primary election earlier allows the GEC the additional time to prepare general election ballots and meet other local and federal election deadlines such as the deadline to transmit absentee ballots to UOCAVA voters"

(UOCAVA is the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.)

Santos says those extra few weeks will allow them to remedy filing issues, ratify candidates and print and mailout absentee ballots, noting, "The additional time also allows GEC to vet and verify voter information and file affidavits of registration before certifying the voter registration rosters and further enables the GEC ample time to print out the official voter signature rosters for each election precinct."

A companion bill also calls for canceling the primary election altogether if the number of candidates from both parties are less than the maximum in the legislative, Washington delegate and mayoral races.

It would also eliminate the primary for non-partisan races such as for the Attorney General's Office.