With the Democratic mayoral primary finally behind us, one would think that New York City voters can finally take a breath. It seems, however, that the November general election is already upon us. Will Andrew Cuomo continue his campaign? Will Republican candidate for mayor Curtis Sliwa take a job in President Trump’s administration? I have no idea, but I will tell you this: It is a 99% certainty that their names will be on the ballot this November no matter what. That is because 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.
Take the Cuomo situation. 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 27. Of course, it makes no sense to have such a deadline some four months before the general election. And it probably means that even if he does not lift a finger he will inevitably attract some votes. How many is uncertain, and whether it would make a difference in the final outcome is unclear.
