New York Calls Off Presidential Primary Amid Coronavirus Pandemic After Bernie Sanders Campaign Asked To Stay On the Ballot

As expected, this unprecedented move triggered a backlash from Vermont Sen supporters. Bernie Sanders, who created a significant impression as a presidential candidate back in 2016, had asked that his name not be eliminated from the ballot.

The Democrats' move on the New York State Board of Elections to turn down the June 23  election scheduled was followed by Sanders’ announcement that would adjourn his presidential campaign, making former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Following this decision, New York became the first American state to completely cancel its primary.

16 other states have pushed back their primaries citing the ongoing pandemic, while many have opted to encourage voters to vote by mail. The announcement was strongly criticized by Sanders' campaign and his supporters.

Sanders campaign adviser Jeff Weaver described the State of New York Board of Elections' decision in a statement Monday as an outrage, and a blow to the country's democracy, urging the DNC to overturn it. Weaver recalled Vice President Biden's last week's warning to American people that Trump could cash in on the ongoing crisis and postpone the election that is slated to take place in November, adding that he now has an authoritative example in the form of New York state.

Sanders’ campaign urged the New York State Board of Elections to not remove his name from the Democratic primary ballot, attributing this suggestion to making sure that the Democratic Party unify ahead of the November elections. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter that canceling New York’s Presidential Primary is completely wrong on the BOE's part.

Cortez had backed Sanders in the race. Ocasio-Cortez noted that the decision is not advised by public health. Moreover, the state hasn't canceled elections for every other seat that is slated to be held that day, adding that the only way your ballot will 100 percent be counted in New York is to make sure you vote in person.

According to the pro-Sanders group, Our Revolution, officials are restricting Sanders supporters from voting in New York. Crushing the Sanders vote will trigger Party attacks across America while wrecking the volunteer work that the group and others are trying to do, the group’s communications and campaigns director Paco Fabian explained.

Accusing the NY State Board of Elections of thinking democracy is a beauty contest, Fabian said the only possible motivation here could be to bring back the 274 delegates in control of the bureaucratic party. The Elections Board abolished the primary by erasing Sanders' name from the ballot, Fox News reports.