EDITORIAL
JUNE PRIMARY
TURNS INTO A
TOTAL SNAFU
Through a series of bad decisions and unforced errors,
the state Board of Elections and Governor
Andrew Cuomo have turned the June 23 primary
into an utter farce.
The primary, of course, is still on, coronavirus be
damned. There will be party primary races for statewide
and Congressional seats. You don’t even have to
leave your house to vote; you will be able to request an
absentee ballot.
That’s the good news about the contest. Everything
else about it is an absolute mess.
Let’s start with the cancellation of the Democratic
presidential primary. Yes, the race effectively ended
back on April 8 when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
dropped out of the running, leaving former Vice President
Joe Biden the last candidate standing — and the
party’s presumptive nominee.
The coronavirus pandemic forced the state to first delay
the primary from April 28 to June 23. After Sanders
suspended his campaign, the primary was seen by some
— including, apparently the state Board of Elections —
as a moot point. That led to the board’s decision on April
27 to cancel the Democratic presidential primary.
That riled up Sanders supporters at a time when
Biden’s still trying to get their support. This decision
throws a bit of a monkey wrench into the Democrats’
cause long-term, as it fuels the belief among many
Sanders supporters that “the machine” is out to squash
them.
That wasn’t the only June contest thrown into chaos.
Cuomo canceled special elections for Queens borough
president and several other city and state legislative
vacancies which were initially scheduled for March
24 but ultimately delayed due to COVID-19. The parties
will hold primaries for these seats instead on June 23,
with the winners advancing to the November election.
But by then, some of these vacant legislative seats
will have been empty for nearly a year before voters
choose the people to represent them in government.
The pandemic in New York state is the very definition
of the term snafu, an infamous military acronym
meaning “Situation Normal: All Fouled Up.”
The June 23 primary is a snafu within the snafu —
and one that could’ve been completely avoided had the
Board of Elections and Cuomo thought more of the voters
and less about politics.
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | 16 QNS.COM | MAY 1-MAY 7, 2020
All voters should vote via an absentee ballot for the June primaries. Photo via Getty Images
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