New York nixes Democratic presidential primary due to virus

In an unprecedented move, New York has canceled its Democratic presidential primary originally scheduled for June 23, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Democratic members of the State’s Board of Elections vote Monday to nix the primary. New York will still hold its congressional and state-level primaries on June 23.

New York Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs has said that the cancellation of the state’s presidential primary would mean a lower expected turnout and a reduced need for polling places.

“It just makes so much sense given the extraordinary nature of the challenge,” Jacobs said last week.

Local election officials and voting groups have called on the state to use federal funds to purchase cleaning supplies and protective gear, and boost staff ahead of 2020 elections.

Both the state’s Democratic Party and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have said that they did not ask election commissioners to make the change, which is allowed, thanks to a little-known provision in the recently passed state budget that allows the New York Board of Elections to remove names of any candidates who have suspended or terminated their campaign from the ballot.

— AP