Justice Department approves Alabama March primary for 2012

MONTGOMERY, Alabama
The Justice Department has approved Alabama's plan to hold its Republican and Democratic primary election in March next year.
Secretary of State Beth Chapman says the presidential primary and the regular primary election will both be held on March 13. She says combining the two will allow the state to save millions of dollars.
The Legislature passed a bill to make the change earlier this year, but federal officials still had to approve it.
Both the Republican and Democratic parties have adopted rules limiting the number of states that can hold primaries in February.