Last year, the Washington state Legislature was close to moving up the state’s primary election date. It was a sensible effort that addressed concerns about proximity to the general election, access to voting for military members and compliance with federal law.

The measure passed in the House, but it was determined that such a change would alter the voter-approved Top Two Primary. That meant the Senate needed a two-thirds majority to pass the bill, which it couldn’t muster.

The good news is that the idea didn’t die on its merits, so it could be resurrected. And it has. At the behest of Secretary of State Sam Reed, a bipartisan group of legislators is again seeking to move the primary election date from the third Tuesday in September to the third Tuesday in August. Sen. Jim Kastama, a Democrat, and Sen. Dave Schmidt, a Republican, are prime advocates. Meanwhile, a court has ruled that such a bill would need only a simple majority to pass.

The arguments for the move outweigh the concerns.

First, the current arrangement doesn’t give absentee military members much time to vote in the general election. Because Washington has one of the latest primaries in the country, election workers have to scramble to mail out absentee and overseas ballots after the primary results have been certified.

This problem has grown since Spokane and other counties have begun adopting all-mail voting. Last year, the state was scolded by the feds for not getting ballots to military members fast enough.

Second, the seven weeks between primary and general elections isn’t enough time for election officials to resolve a close, contested primary race and prepare for the next one. A Gregoire-Rossi type race in the primary would be disastrous for the general election.

Worries about moving the primary are largely centered in Olympia, where incumbents are barred from fundraising one month before and one month after a legislative session. Moving the primary would give incumbents one less month to raise money. Reed suggests reducing the fundraising blackout to two weeks before the session and eliminating it post-session.

Incumbents already have a built-in advantage, but making these revisions is an acceptable compromise if it results in an earlier primary. Besides, the fundraising restrictions are to ensure that legislators aren’t accepting donations while votes are pending. Under the proposed changes, that still couldn’t occur.

A second concern is that many voters are unplugged from politics during summer. They can adjust, just like voters elsewhere.

It’s more important that the state move to fairer, more efficient elections.