New York Primary Petitions Cut to 30% of Normal, but Petitioning Deadline Arrives Sooner

On March 14, Governor Andrew Cuomo cut the New York primary petition requirements to 30% of normal. However, he also moved the petition deadline from April 2 to March 17, 5 p.m. See this story.

The order apparently has no effect on general election petitions. The petitioning period for them runs from early April to late May. That deadline had been in August until the 2019 session of the legislature moved it to May. That deadline is almost certainly unconstitutional, but so far no lawsuits have been filed against that deadline, as far as is known.

New York Governor Says Petitioning is Something that Must be Addressed

On March 13, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “Normally you go door to door with a petition and you speak to the person who opens the door and you ask them to sign a petition. This is not the best time to be sending people door to door. It’s the exact opposite of what we’re trying to do. I don’t know the specific solution but I know it’s something that we have to address.” See this story.

The primary petitioning window opened February 25 and ends April 2.

Democratic and Republicans Petitioning for Massachusetts Primary are Concerned About Virus Fears

Petitioning is underway for Massachusetts candidates to get on primary ballots for the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green Parties. The primary is in September and the signatures are due in June. The worst petition requirement this year is for candidates for U.S. Senate, who need 10,000 signatures of party members or independent voters.

This article expresses concern by some candidates for U.S. House, who each need 2,000 signatures. It doesn’t say anyone is trying to ameliorate the problem, however.