Coronavirus News: New York State Board of Elections appeals reinstatement of June 23 presidential primary

Thursday, May 7, 2020

New York appeals state's June 23 presidential primary

The New York State Board of Elections is now appealing a federal judge's decision to restore the state's presidential primary.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York State Board of Elections is now appealing a federal judge's decision to restore the state's presidential primary.

On Tuesday, the judge ruled that the state must hold its primary on June 23 as planned.

The judge said there was enough time before the primary occurs to figure out how to carry it out safely.

Last week, the board canceled the primary by removing all candidates' names from the ballot except for Joe Biden, even though New York was still planning to hold its congressional and state-level primaries.

They cited the danger to voters from the coronavirus as a reason to cancel the election since former Vice President Joe Biden has been endorsed by the major candidates he had faced.

The move was quickly challenged by former presidential contender Andrew Yang, and a number of his delegates, in a federal lawsuit, which argued that the decision would disenfranchise voters.

New York's primary was initially scheduled for April 28, but was postponed to June, with state and election officials encouraging voters to cast their ballots by mail, due to the coronavirus.