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Common Cause/NY released a white paper today with recommendations on how New York elections can proceed during a pandemic, including...

We urge the Governor and lawmakers to consolidate the presidential primary and other relevant special elections with the June 23rd legislative and congressional primary. Generally we believe that elections should not be postponed, however, the current circumstances require extraordinary measures. Consolidating the primaries is a prudent public health measure that does not undermine our democracy, and frees up much needed funding for more immediate public health needs.

Last Tuesday during the Ohio-12 special election, Americans found themselves angry at third party voters – again – for “wasting” their votes. This problem is not unique to Ohio: in multi-candidate competitive races, we see upset voters of one party or candidate hold others accountable for their loss. The blame should not be placed on voters -- it should be on the broken election system. Just look at New York City. New York City primaries are crowded fields, with sometimes with as many as seven people vying for one ballot line.