Democrats rescind their plan to postpone the NY special elections and fill Stefanik’s seat

Rochester, New York – A bill that was submitted on Friday to postpone New York State’s special elections has been defeated.

Hours before the bill would have been discussed on the floor, Democrats decided to kill it on Monday.

Governor Kathy Hochul would have been able to postpone holding extraordinary elections until the November election thanks to the measure.

It comes as it is anticipated that the Republican seat in Congress held by Rep. Elise Stefanik will be up for grabs. She has been appointed the next ambassador to the United Nations by President Donald Trump.

The bill was submitted Friday by Democrats in the Assembly and Senate, who said that by delaying special elections, local governments would save money by holding one poll now and another in November.

The measure also noted that fewer people participated in the electoral process and that special elections had lower voter turnout.

Stefanik has already completed her farewell tour and is anticipated to step down once her appointment as ambassador to the United Nations is finalized.

Stefanik’s seat would have remained vacant until the general election in November if the law had been approved.

Although it was supposed to be put to a vote on Monday, it was killed and was not included in the discussion agenda.

“What a very short time frame does, it favors people who are already elected officials versus a citizen who wants to run because there’s a lot involved, so you’re actually denying more opportunities for people to run who don’t already have an elected office,” Hochul said, citing the expense of holding special elections throughout the year as previously reported.

According to current legislation, the governor has 10 days from the time a seat falls empty to call a special election that will take place during the following 70 to 80 days.