New York’s primaries are six weeks away, but the court battles over exactly what those races will look like are raging now.
Last Tuesday, a federal judge ruled in favor of Andrew Yang, his delegate candidates and delegates candidates for Bernie Sanders, ordering that the June 23 presidential primary be reinstated.
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On Friday, the state attorney general appealed the decision.
The state Board of Elections wants the presidential primary to stay canceled, citing COVID-19 concerns and the fact that the primary is uncontested with all other candidates conceding to Joe Biden.
At the state level, the end of the week saw Manhattan Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright win her legal fight to get restored to the primary ballot on the Democratic and Working Families party lines.
The city Board of Elections had removed her over late petition cover sheets.
A Republican contender for her seat, Lou Puliafito, plans to appeal.
And in a neighboring district, Manhattan Assembly Member Dan Quart was victorious in his court case to get challenger Cameron Koffman kicked off the ballot.
A Manhattan Supreme Court justice agreed with Quart that Koffman … freshly graduated from Yale … had violated residency rules by living and voting in Connecticut.
Koffman plans to appeal.
Then, late Friday, Queens borough presidential candidates James Quinn and Dao Yin filed separate lawsuits against Governor Cuomo over the cancelation of the special election.
Both Quinn and Yin referenced Yang’s suit to restore the presidential primary. Quinn called the cancelation of the Queens special election illegal. Yin called it unconstitutional.
Spokespeople for Cuomo and the city Board of Elections didn’t respond to requests for comment.
All this is happening against the backdrop of the state and city coming up against deadlines to mail and print ballots.
New York is preparing for expanded absentee voting to make the process safer during this Coronavirus pandemic.