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New York Officials Weigh Delaying April Primary Election New York Officials Weigh Delaying April Primary Election
(about 5 hours later)
New York officials are considering plans to postpone the state’s presidential primary election from April 28 to June 23, the date of another scheduled statewide primary, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. New York officials are considering plans to postpone the state’s presidential primary election in April as fears over the coronavirus outbreak grow and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned against gatherings of more than 50 people.
Douglas A. Kellner, co-chair of the New York State Board of Elections, confirmed on Sunday that discussions were underway about the possibility of delaying the primary from April 28 to June 23 in the interest of containing the virus’s spread, but he added that no final decision had been reached. The decision ultimately would rest with the governor and the State Legislature, he said in an interview.
The discussions are underway as two states — Louisiana and Georgia — have already postponed their primaries and other states are weighing various delays or mail-in balloting measures to protect the public from exposure to the illness.The discussions are underway as two states — Louisiana and Georgia — have already postponed their primaries and other states are weighing various delays or mail-in balloting measures to protect the public from exposure to the illness.
Four other states that are scheduled to vote in the presidential primary on Tuesday — Ohio, Arizona, Florida and Illinois — have reconfirmed plans to hold their elections as planned, issuing a joint statement on Friday expressing confidence that ballots can be safely cast. Democratic Party officials in Puerto Rico, a United States territory, said they would request a postponement of their primary from March 29 to April 26.
Douglas A. Kellner, co-chair of the New York State Board of Elections, confirmed on Sunday that discussions were underway about the possibility of delaying the primary in the interest of containing the virus’s spread, but he added that no final decision had been reached. “The safety of every citizen is paramount,” the party said in a news release Sunday.
The decision ultimately would rest with the governor and the State Legislature, he said in an interview. As four states — Ohio, Arizona, Florida and Illinois — have said they plan to go forward with voting on Tuesday amid concerns about the spread of the virus, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont raised questions on Sunday night about the wisdom of proceeding.
Mr. Kellner, a Manhattan lawyer, said he was in favor of moving the election to June 23 — the day of another already scheduled statewide vote. During an interview after the presidential debate, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Mr. Sanders whether he thought the primaries should go forward as planned.
“That is a very good question,” Mr. Sanders responded. “As you know, Louisiana and Georgia and Puerto Rico have delayed their elections, postponed until dates in the future. Look, you know, elections, dates are very important.”
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He added, “We don’t want to be getting in the habit of messing around with them,” and recalled the cancellation of an election in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“I would hope governors listen to the public health experts and what they are saying is, you just indicated, we don’t want gatherings of more than 50 people,” Mr. Sanders said. “I’m thinking about some of the elderly people sitting behind the desks, registering people, all that stuff. It does not make a lot of sense. I’m not sure that it does.”
The four states that are scheduled to hold primaries on Tuesday issued a joint statement on Friday expressing confidence that ballots could be safely cast and reconfirmed their plans on Saturday.
On Sunday night, after the new recommendations from the C.D.C., a spokesman from the Illinois secretary of state’s office said that “as of now, we are still on for Tuesday.”
“We’ve now had 38 days of early voting and hundreds of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots have been issued,” said the spokesman, Matt Dietrich. “We continue to encourage voters to help mitigate Election Day traffic by early voting on Monday.”
He added that “voters are urged to maintain proper distance between themselves and other voters.”
In New York, Mr. Kellner, the elections board co-chair and a Manhattan lawyer, said he was in favor of moving the election to June 23 — the day of another already scheduled statewide vote.
“Why? There’s no compelling reason to have the presidential primary election in April apart from the other election,” Mr. Kellner said. He added that it was likely that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would be decided by late April and, if not, the June 23 election date still fell before the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July.“Why? There’s no compelling reason to have the presidential primary election in April apart from the other election,” Mr. Kellner said. He added that it was likely that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would be decided by late April and, if not, the June 23 election date still fell before the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July.
Many officials do not regard a postponement as immediately necessary, Mr. Kellner said, adding that a decision could be delayed for two weeks, when more information will be available.Many officials do not regard a postponement as immediately necessary, Mr. Kellner said, adding that a decision could be delayed for two weeks, when more information will be available.
There is no Republican presidential primary being held in New York this year. Other than the Democratic presidential nominating vote, other state and federal primary balloting in New York is scheduled for June 23.There is no Republican presidential primary being held in New York this year. Other than the Democratic presidential nominating vote, other state and federal primary balloting in New York is scheduled for June 23.
In another development, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced the cancellation of a March 24 special election for borough president in Queens, saying it was necessary to protect poll workers and the public.
“In a democratic society, the cancellation of an election is such a rarity,” Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference. “It should be avoided at all costs. But in this case, with the nature of this crisis, I’ve come to the decision that it’s necessary.”
In the past few days, elections officials around the country have been considering various changes in their elections schedules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, with several others believed to be considering a delay or moving to mail-in balloting.In the past few days, elections officials around the country have been considering various changes in their elections schedules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, with several others believed to be considering a delay or moving to mail-in balloting.
Mr. Kellner, a Democrat, said state officials had also been reviewing the possibility of the broader use of absentee ballots in New York for the primary.Mr. Kellner, a Democrat, said state officials had also been reviewing the possibility of the broader use of absentee ballots in New York for the primary.
“The state board of elections already has on its website an application for military and overseas voters to download their ballots,” Mr. Kellner said. “We are actively considering what has to be done to scale that up so that people would be able to download absentee ballots over the internet. They would still have to mail them back if one were to go into that direction.”“The state board of elections already has on its website an application for military and overseas voters to download their ballots,” Mr. Kellner said. “We are actively considering what has to be done to scale that up so that people would be able to download absentee ballots over the internet. They would still have to mail them back if one were to go into that direction.”
He said that officials were currently evaluating how long it would take to carry out that change — an answer they expect to have this week.He said that officials were currently evaluating how long it would take to carry out that change — an answer they expect to have this week.
Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, denied that there had been any discussions about moving the state’s primary.Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, denied that there had been any discussions about moving the state’s primary.
Several days ago, in what Mr. Cuomo described as an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, the governor signed an executive order lifting restrictions on absentee ballots in the special election in Queens County scheduled for March 24. Mr. Cuomo, though, had recently taken several interim steps to minimize coronavirus exposure in the elections process, including reducing the number of signatures required on petitions that candidates for state and federal offices need to be placed on the ballot for the June 23 primary — a move he said was an effort to limit door-to-door canvassing.
He also reduced the number of signatures required on petitions to be placed on the ballot — a move he said was an effort to limit door-to-door canvassing by those seeking signatures. In a statement on Sunday, the Democratic National Committee said a delay in New York’s election to June 23 would violate its rules requiring that all states hold their primaries by June 9, but added, “We will continue to work with every state party as they adjust their delegate selection plans around coronavirus.”
In a statement Sunday, the Democratic National Committee said a delay in New York’s election to June 23 would violate its rules requiring that all states hold their primaries by June 9, but added, “We will continue to work with every state party as they adjust their delegate selection plans around coronavirus.”
The party has said that any rules violation could potentially result in a state losing half its delegates, but would have to be reviewed by the party’s rules and bylaws committee.The party has said that any rules violation could potentially result in a state losing half its delegates, but would have to be reviewed by the party’s rules and bylaws committee.