DFNYC supports holding NY primaries on June 26th

Democracy for NYC is committed to the principles of both a true democratic process and fiscal responsbility. For these reasons, the board of directors of DFNYC strongly supports state bill A9271, which was introduced and sponsored on Friday, February 10th, by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. This bill would require that the state of New York hold its legislative primaries on June 26th, which is the same date on which a federal judge has already ordered that congressional elections must take place.

As this legislation makes clear, each primary and general election that the state of New York holds costs taxpayers in excess of $50 million. In these dire economic times, when the state is cutting back programs and services for people in need and closing schools, for our lawmakers to even consider paying for separate primaries each year is fiscally irresponsible.
 
It is hypocritical for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his fellow Republican legislators to support spending tens of millions of dollars for a separate state primary in September, given their stated desires to cut taxes and reduce the size of government.  
 
The board of DFNYC urges its members to contact their legislators in Albany and ask them to support state assembly bill A9271. We should demand that the state hold all of this year's primary elections on June 26th.