Op-Ed | Democracy Defender: Running for Mayor or Not? | amNewYork
Briefly

New York City's recent Democratic primary has ended, yet the November general election approaches. Andrew Cuomo's campaign status and Curtis Sliwa's potential role in Trump's administration remain uncertain. Current laws make it very likely both will remain on the ballot despite possible campaign withdrawals. Cuomo cannot remove his name due to a rigid deadline imposed three days after the primary. Revising these laws could permit candidates more flexibility and reduce voter confusion about legitimate nominees. A similar situation occurred for Cuomo in 2002 when he could not withdraw from the ballot after supporting another candidate.
The laws relating to our elections are more unreasonable and impracticable than they should be. The only way their names would be removed is if, God forbid, they died.
Assuming he follows Rev. Al Sharpton's advice and ends his campaign, he cannot take his name off the ballot. The reason is that the deadline for him to have done so was three days after the primary June 27th.
The ballots are not printed until a month or so before the election. And, of course, it would eliminate the confusion that voters would encounter as to who on their ballots are the real candidates.
Cuomo himself faced this problem in 2002. He was running for governor in the Democratic and now-defunct Liberal Party primaries. At the last minute he dropped out and backed the leading Democrat, H. Carl McCall.
Read at www.amny.com
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