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League of Women Voters of New York State Files Federal Lawsuit to Postpone New York Statewide Primaries to August 23, 2022

Press Release / Last Updated:

New York City — The League of Women Voters of New York State filed a lawsuit yesterday in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York asking that the Court postpone the June 28 primary for statewide offices to August 23. The complaint states that the New York State Board of Elections unlawfully certified the primary ballot for statewide offices because it relied on an invalidated congressional map for qualifying petitions. The lawsuit alleges that the Board’s actions violate New York voters’ freedom of association under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution.

Laura Ladd Bierman, Executive Director of the League, stated: “The State Board of Elections, apparently with the support of the leaders of both major political parties, put in place a deliberately exclusionary electoral regime for statewide offices designed to limit further competition in the primary and from independent candidates in the general election. Our suit requests the Court to order the postponement of the statewide primary from June 28 to August 23, 2022 — the same date as State Senate and Congressional primaries — and extend the deadline for gathering signatures for both the party primaries and independent candidates seeking to qualify for the general election.”

See complaint filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and related Memorandum of Law.  

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Press Contact: Sally Robinson, VP of Issues and Advocacy 

E: [email protected], Tel: 914-441-5144

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