Nation IN BRIEF : VERMONT : State’s Presidential Primary Eliminated

Vermont’s non-binding presidential primary has become the latest victim of the state’s budget woes. Lawmakers in Montpelier grappling with ways to pare the budget for the coming year axed the primary, some arguing the election was little more than an unaffordable beauty contest. Vermont, one of only a few states that hold non-binding primaries, chooses its delegates to the national conventions through a system of town caucuses and state party conventions. Eliminating the primary will save the state the cost of printing and distributing ballots, hiring temporary help, covering overtime expenses and printing signs to post at the polls.