The State of New York today canceled its presidential primary originally scheduled for June 23 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The New York State Board of Elections today voted to cancel the presidential primary slated for June 23. New York will still hold its congressional and state-level primaries on June 23.
According to NBC News:
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.
As previously reported on Conduit Street, Governor Larry Hogan last month postponed Maryland’s presidential primary election scheduled for April 28 due to concerns over the coronavirus public health crisis. The presidential primary will take place on June 2.
As health officials warn that social distancing and other measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic might be in place months, Governor Hogan earlier this month approved a plan to conduct the June 2 presidential primary election primarily via mail-in ballots, with limited in-person voting sites across the state.
“I am strongly urging every Marylander who can vote by mail to cast their ballots by mail,” Hogan said. “In the rare cases where people must vote in-person, significant social distancing measures must be implemented by state and local election officials.”
Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.
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