Washington Post: New York state cancels its primary, angering Sanders camp

04.27.2020 / By Sean Sullivan
Washington Post: New York state cancels its primary, angering Sanders camp

Not so, an elections expert said. “This is a totally separate matter,” said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a nonprofit group that advocates for eased ballot access. “You’re comparing apples to oranges.” Albert noted that Congress determines the timing of federal elections and that the president does not have the power to change that.

Sen. Bernie Sanders’s campaign excoriated New York election officials Monday for canceling the state’s Democratic presidential primary, opening a new rift in a party trying to mend its divisions following a competitive fight for the nomination.

Although Sanders (I-Vt.) has suspended his campaign and endorsed former vice president Joe Biden, he has expressed a desire to remain on ballots in states with upcoming nominating contests. He hopes to continue amassing delegates to the party’s national convention to gain influence over the platform and other decisions.

That plan received a blow when Democratic commissioners on the state Board of Elections opted to remove Sanders from the New York ballot, thereby scrapping the June 23 primary. Senior Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver responded with a scathing statement on behalf of the senator’s campaign, calling the decision a “blow to American democracy” that should be rectified by the Democratic National Committee.

Not so, an elections expert said. “This is a totally separate matter,” said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a nonprofit group that advocates for eased ballot access. “You’re comparing apples to oranges.”

Albert noted that Congress determines the timing of federal elections and that the president does not have the power to change that.

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