Dinowitz Urges Primary Date to be Moved from September to June

  

     Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) has urged Speaker Sheldon Silver to support moving primary day throughout New York State from September to June beginning with the 2013 elections.  In a letter sent to the Speaker, Dinowitz outlined several reasons why changing the date of the primary election would be beneficial to the State--particularly financial and logistical concerns.

He pointed to this past year’s elections where local municipalities had to endure extra expenses with the separation of the Congressional primaries and the primaries for the State legislature. 

“Moving the primary to June is a much more cost-effective and sensible alternative to the September primary,” stated Mr. Dinowitz.

Having a September primary would also make it burdensome for New York City to hold a runoff, if needed, two weeks later.  There have been ongoing concerns regarding the new voting machines and it is possible that the Board of Elections would not be able to provide election results before the day the runoff is scheduled to be held or even determine whether or not a runoff would be necessary.

“Changing the primary election to a date in June would enable the Board of Elections to certify the election results in a timely manner.  This is a simple and sensible solution to this insurmountable logistical problem,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

Because the petitioning process for a June primary would commence in March Assemblyman Dinowitz further urged the Speaker to take up this matter at the beginning of the legislative session when the Assembly returns to Albany next month. 

“It is essential that any change in the election calendar be determined as soon as possible,” added Mr. Dinowitz.

 

Editor Note- What do you think of Assemblyman Dinowitz's idea?