New York Cancels Democratic Primary During Coronavirus with Only Biden Left in the Race

New York’s election officials on Monday canceled the state’s Democratic presidential primary in June, labeling it a “frivolous” exercise amid the novel coronavirus pandemic that was not worth the health risk given that only one candidate remained in the race, according to the Associated Press and The New York Times.

The AP called the move “unprecedented” and reported it was based on a “little-known provision in the recently passed state budget” that empowered the board of elections’ two Democratic commissioners to remove Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ name from the ballot because he’d dropped out.

The progressive politician left the race in early April and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden.

But he had hoped — paradoxically — to continue to win votes in the remaining primaries and use that to shape the Democratic platform and political priorities at the August national convention.

“What the Sanders campaign wanted is essentially a beauty contest that, given the situation with the public health emergency, seems to be unnecessary and, indeed, frivolous,” said Douglas Kellner, the board’s co-chair, according to the Times.

He said it was a “very difficult decision,” the AP reported. Commissioner Andrew Spano echoed that but said he didn’t want to “have anyone on the ballot just for the purposes of issues at a convention.”

Other contests in the state will be held as normally, though approximately 20 of New York’s 62 counties will now not have anything up for a vote that would require people to go out in public, according to the Times.

The move drew quick criticism from Sanders’ supporters and further underlined competing tensions over how to conduct elections while combating the coronavirus, which health officials say largely rests on social distancing.

On Sunday, a Sanders’ lawyer reportedly spoke out in advance of the cancellation.

“Senator Sanders has collaborated with state parties, the national party and the Biden campaign, to strengthen the Democrats by aligning the party’s progressive and moderate wings. His removal from the ballot would hamper those efforts, to the detriment of the party in the general election,” attorney Malcolm Seymour wrote in a letter, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a campaign statement, according to the Times, Sanders’ adviser Jeff Weaver called the decision “an outrage” and “a blow to American democracy,” that set a dangerous precedent. He said the Democratic National Committee should reverse it.

New York’s primary had already been postponed from April to June.

Earlier this month, Wisconsin held its elections as normal — prompting the reverse criticism from notable figures such as former First Lady Michelle Obama, who said lawmakers there were forcing people to choose between their health and their right to vote.

Obama and her When We All Vote group have pushed for expanded mail-in voting as a solution to the risks of the pandemic, which President Donald Trump opposes while claiming (without evidence) that it encourages fraud.