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‘It’s the law’: NY taxpayers to foot $25M for a 2024 primary election they don’t need

March 22, 2024 | | Print Article

With just under eight months to go before the 2024 presidential elections the presumptive nominees for both parties have already been named: the White House race will, barring some unexpected event, be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Despite what is clearly a settled matter, New York taxpayers will still have to shell out an estimated $25 million to administer the state’s 2024 presidential primary, the New York Post reports.

The NYC Board of Elections (BoE) came up with the figure, which will be used to pay for “the printed ballots, testing voting machines and securing polling places, among other costs” during the “eight days of early voting beginning Saturday, as well as the April 2 election,” according to The Post.

“With low turnout, it should be easy money for poll workers, who get paid $250 per day,” the outlet notes. “Election supervisors get paid $350 per day.”

Though they’ve all suspended their campaigns, Republicans Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley will appear with Trump on the GOP ballot, according to the BoE.

“Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson will appear on the Democratic ballot along with Biden, though only the president submitted a slate of delegates for the party convention.,” The Post reports.

According to a BoE spokesperson, a candidate’s name doesn’t automatically come off the ballot just because he or she threw in the towel.

A 2019 state law requires New York to hold a full week of early voting before Election Day.

“There will be 1,213 polling sites open starting at 6 a.m. on April 2, with 143 sites open for the eight days of early voting,” according to The Post. “About 35,000 poll workers will be at voting sites on April 2, the city BOE said.”

And it’s staffing those sites that, by far, costs taxpayers the most, BOE Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio said.

“As dictated by law, we will run the election we are charged to run,” he stated.

Over in Nassau County, the Board of Elections expects the primary to cost $2.5 million.

“It is the law,” said state Democratic chairman and Nassau County leader Jay Jacobs. “It is not like we have a choice in the matter.”

“The bill to hold the elections will likely exceed $50 million statewide, given how much the city and Nassau County alone are paying,” The Post predicts.

State Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kassar called the Empire State’s primary policy “a waste of money.”

“There should be a way to cancel the election,” Kassar said. “There should be an escape clause to make the primary go away. The Conservative Party would support such a change.”

“Trump and Biden have clinched the nomination and other candidates have withdrawn,” he stated. “Twenty-five million dollars, the amount New York City is spending to hold the presidential primary, is a lot of money. You can double that total to $50 million statewide.”

“Well, someone has to grift off the taxpayers,” one user on X reasoned. “Obviously. LOL”

Melissa Fine
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