Census Bureau To Resume Delivering Questionnaires Across Central New York Wednesday

In CNY Central, Tony Black reports “After the coronavirus crisis paused door-to-door delivery of the 2020 census questionnaires, the U.S. Census Bureau will resume operations Wednesday, delivering 62,000 questionnaires to households across Central New York.”

Federal Judge Sides With NAACP In Voting Rights Challenge Of East Ramapo School District

Thomas C. Zambito, in the Rockland/Westchester Journal News reports “A federal judge struck down the method East Ramapo uses to elect its school board Tuesday, saying the current setup is unfair to black and Latino voters.

U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel, in a 77-page decision issued this morning, said the East Ramapo Central School District will be banned from using the at-large method to elect school board members in elections scheduled for June 9.

“This ruling may or may not change the way the schools in the District are run,” Seibel wrote. “But the purpose of Section 2 (of the Voting Rights Act) is not to produce any particular policy outcome. Rather, it is to ensure that every voter has equal access to the electoral process. For too long, black and Latino voters in the District have been frustrated in that most fundamental and precious endeavor. They, like their white neighbors, are entitled to have their voices heard.”

Second Circuit Requiring New York to Conduct a Presidential Primary

Read the order here: https://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/20-05-19-2CA-Affirmance.pdf

NY’s Democratic Presidential Primary On June 23 Reinstated, But New York Appeals

Joseph Spector reports in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that the decision to reinstate the June 23 primary has been appealed by New York State.

New York Board Of Elections Cancels Democratic Presidential Primary

In today’s New York Times,  Stephanie Saul and Nick Corasaniti report “New York officials canceled the state’s Democratic presidential primary on Monday, prompting an immediate backlash from the campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders and his legion of progressive supporters who had hoped to amass convention delegates and help shape the party’s platform in August.

In making the decision against holding a primary, which had been scheduled for June 23, the Democratic chair of the New York State Board of Elections called the primary “essentially a beauty contest” that the state could ill-afford in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Cuomo: BOE To Send New Yorkers Applications For Absentee Ballot For June Primary

Morgan McKay reports in State of Politics: “Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that he will be issuing an executive order to have the State Board of Elections send every New Yorker a postage-paid application for an absentee ballot.

With the June 23 primary date quickly approaching, Cuomo said he wants people to have the option to vote from home if necessary, despite some criticism from groups saying that the BOE does not have the infrastructure to tackle this massive undertaking.”

Leg­is­lature Urged To Codify Absentee Ballot Order

In State of Politics, Nick Reisman reports  that “(t)he good-government group Common Cause and a Democratic county elections commissioner on Friday urged state lawmakers to codify an absentee ballot expansion Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered for the June 23 primary and special elections in New York.

Cuomo moved this week to expand absentee voting to include virtually any eligible voter in the June vote, which will consider federal and state primary elections and two special elections for the 27th congressional district and the 50th state Senate seat.

Cuomo had previously moved the special election and presidential primary from April 28 to June 23 in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.”