The primary was originally scheduled for April 28, but the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has pushed the state to delay its election as residents practice social distancing.
The New York state primary has been delayed until June 23, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a press conference Saturday morning. The state had originally scheduled its primary election for April 28, but will delay the date in the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. now leads the world in global cases of COVID-19, with 105,573 confirmed positive patients, according to Johns Hopkins University. With over 52,000 cases, New York is the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak, though other states may have undercounted their cases due to the continued difficulty of testing. The state expects to encourage social distancing measures past the original election date. “I don’t think it’s wise to be bringing people to one location to vote,” Cuomo said. New York is among several states to postpone their primaries, including Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, and Ohio.
