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Primary Date ProblemAs we all recall, the attacks of September 11, 2001 happened on what was supposed to be Primary Day here in New York. Since the election law still says that primaries are to be held on the first Tuesday in the week after Labor Day, this year, for the first time since that year, Primary Day is scheduled to be on September 11th. I see a problem with that. While this is an “off-year” in New York City, with not many election contests to be held, there are some. And outside of the City, some major positions are up for election this year (suburban & upstate County Executives, Mayors & County Legislators). The media coverage of the anniversary of September 11th means that their will more limited than usual media coverage of election news right before the Primary this year. And what has become a fact of life – criticism in the media of any activity on September 11th that is not a memorial, many voters will be discouraged from voting on September 11th, depressing turnout to a degree much greater than usual. This is not good and we should try to avoid it. An earlier post by me urging that Primary Day be moved from September back to June seems to have had no effect on the political dialogue so I propose something more modest. For this year, and for any subsequent year when Primary Day will fall on September 11th, the Primary be moved forward one week to September 18th. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Any objections? An easier solution
An easier solution would be for the city and state to simply declare September 11th a holiday. Nothing gets accomplished that day anyway because 9/11 memorial coverage swamps the news. If it was a holiday they couldn't have elections on that day.
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Jerry, you are right that primary day belongs in June, where it used to be.We need to figure out how to get this on the radar of the gang in Albany.
There has been a bill introduced to change the Primary date to June and it has been introduced by Shelly Silver. I'm prerplexed why a bill supported by the Speaker has gone nowhere.
Don't be perplexed jerry. It's gone nowhere because no deal's been worked out with the Senate, it wasn't meant to be a one-house bill, and it didn't seem worth doing just for the press release.
I bet there's no deal worked out with the Senate because the joe bruno and the state republican party don't really want the primary moved back. Think about it, Republicans don't have nearly as many contested primaries in New York as the Democrats do. The Republicans benefit enormously from Democrats tearing each other apart in their primary, while the Republican primary is usually barely contested in a lot of places and amounts often to a coronation. You think they want the primary moved back in New York City, for instance, when that would only give the Democrats more time to heal wounds from the primary and more time to raise money? The primary needs to be moved back but I think its not going to happen until and unless the GOP loses control of the Senate.
It seems to me that if the primary is earlier petitioning becomes more difficult, and prospective candidates face leaving or losing their jobs sooner. That certainly would have been the case for me.
To me more time means more time to meet with voters before the primary, and a less dragged out general election campaign. For most legislative and congressional sets, the general election doesn't count for much anyway. And for those it does, two months is enough. I have no objection to making the primary date a week later, however.
As for Silver's bill, I think he was worried about elections for Governor, Senator and Attorney General, which are exempted from the incumbent protection agreement. He didn't want Spitzer and Suozzi, Cuomo and Green fighting each other through September. Now that those elections are over, it doesn't matter for another four years, and even then you'll have Republicans fighting it out for the right to challenge Democratic incumbents. I introduced a resolution a month or so ago at the Council calling upon the Legislature to chagne the date from the 11th. It was noted inthe Post. Thatnk you Jerry for bringing this annoying issue to light. Lew One problem with your suggestion of moving the primary date forward to the 18th is that it puts the primary right in the middle of Ramadan, the muslim holy period. Ramadan starts this year on 9/12. It would be considered insulting to the city's muslim residents to have a primary during ramadan. Why not change the primary date to June. In the name of irrational seasonality the MSM won't cover many races without primaries until September, when it can be too late for a non-incumbent to use the visibility to raise the money needed to win. Plus the long primary season drains office seekers participating in these intraparty contests' resources that could be devoted to November. I have re-introduced my legislation, originally submitted last year, to move back the primary by one week (September 18) when it would otherwise fall on September 11. The bill no. is A.2018. Hopefully it will become law very soon. While this doesn't address the September or June issue, it does address the immediate issue of not having voting take place on September 11th.
How much advance notice is needed to change a primary date? It isn't as easy as just changing the date. Poll workers who have arranged to take that particular date off from their regular day jobs would have to change their schedules. Union workers setting up the voting booths. Schools and other polling locations arranging to be polling sites a week later than expected, causing possible re-scheduling of other events. What would changing the date with only a few months notice cost? IFRC the emergency change of primary date in 2001 was quite costly.
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