Governor moves presidential primary from April 28 to June 23
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that a presidential primary scheduled for April 28 has been pushed back to June 23.
The governor said he didn’t want large groups of people heading to polling sites next month while the state is expected to be in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The special election for the New York 27th Congressional District also will be moved back. That election is scheduled for April 28. One of the candidates, Nate McMurray, urged the governor to push back the date of that election due to the health concerns from the virus.
On Twitter, McMurray thanked the governor “for putting public health over politics.”
Chris Jacobs, a candidate for NY-27, issued this statement about the postponed election: “My foremost concern is the health and safety of all New Yorkers in this difficult time. As we continue to deal with this national challenge, I urge everyone to stay safe and follow all the recommended guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We will meet this challenge as we always have. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone.”
Village elections, which originally were set for March 18, were pushed back to April 28. It’s unclear if those elections have also been moved to a later date.
The organization, Common Cause/NY, praised Cuomo for moving back the presidential primary, which also will be aligned with the congressional and state legislative primaries on June 23.
“Consolidating the presidential primary to June 23rd is the right move to protect voters’ health and free up much needed funding for more immediate public health needs,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/NY. “We applaud Governor Cuomo for taking this step. Next, New York lawmakers must expand absentee voting to ensure all voters can exercise their right to vote – no matter the situation.”
