The New York Board of Elections announced this week that it is cancelling the June 23 Democratic presidential primary election over concerns about the coronavirus.
The New York presidential primary was initially scheduled for April 28, before it was pushed back to late June — that decision was made in late March.
The Presidential Primary and special elections in the 27th CD, 50th SD, 12th AD, 31st AD and 136th AD scheduled for April 28, 2020 have been postponed and rescheduled to June 23, 2020, per Executive Order 202.12.
— NY State Board of Elections (@NYSBOE) March 30, 2020
New York elections board Chairman Douglas Kellner told The New York Times, “Obviously the intent of the legislature was not to have a primary election where there is no real contest.”
In many counties, the presidential primary was the only race on the ballot.
Kellner said that the cancellation is within New York law, per the Times, adding, “The DNC has been very clear: the DNC does not want to do anything that looks like we’re being unfair. And we’re not being unfair, we’re just reacting to a global pandemic which happens to be centered in New York at the time.”
Republicans killed a number of state primaries and some Republican candidates against him accused the Republican foul play. Former Congressman Joe Walsh, who sought to run against Trump told Politico that the “RNC should be ashamed of itself.”
In response to New York’s decision, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement:
“Today’s decision by the State of New York Board of Elections is an outrage, a blow to American democracy, and must be overturned by the DNC. Just last week Vice President Biden warned the American people that President Trump could use the current crisis as an excuse to postpone the November election. Well, he now has a precedent thanks to New York state.”
Sanders dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary as the coronavirus pandemic worsened. Sanders also endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden and said that the decision to oppose Biden is “irresponsible.”
Sanders’ supporters have argued that the 2016 Democratic presidential primary was rigged in favor of Hillary Clinton. And President Donald Trump has openly pushed that theory.
But the Vermont Senator’s campaign has also shot down the idea that the 2020 Democratic primary is rigged. In an interview on MSNBC, a top Sanders advisor said, “It is not currently rigged. Last time it was rigged.”