Hochul Signs Measure Moving Local Elections to Even-Numbered Years
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Local elections will change significantly in the near future after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation late Friday that will move virtually all town political contests from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.
The legislation updates the election calendar by aligning races for Town Board, supervisor, county legislator and county executive to even-numbered years to coincide with state and federal elections in hopes of increasing turnout at the polls.
It was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. James Skoufis (D-Cornwall) and by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) in the lower house.
“By signing this legislation, we are taking a significant step towards expanding access to the ballot box and promoting a more inclusive democracy,” Hochul said in a statement shortly after she signed the bill. “This is a meaningful first step and I would support a constitutional amendment to align all election years, to save taxpayer dollars and avoid voter fatigue.”
Cities and villages are exempt from the changes.
Revisions to the calendar will first be felt in the 2025 election cycle. The town and county offices that will be contested that year will carry one- and three-year terms where previously the candidates would have competed for two- and four-year terms, according to the legislation.
Starting in 2026, the elections for those offices will continue in even-year cycles, coinciding in New York with either the mid-term and gubernatorial races or a Presidential election year.
Elections for judge and in cities throughout the state will not be affected because New York requires a constitutional amendment to be ratified to make changes to the election calendar for those positions.
Last spring when word spread that the state legislature had passed the bill, there was overwhelming outcry against the change among local elected officials regardless of political background. Greenburg Supervisor Paul Feiner, a Democrat, has been one of many local outspoken critics of the change.
“The stated purpose of the law is to increase voter turnout in local elections,” Feiner said. “Although more people vote in Presidential elections, many people who vote in even-year elections are not interested in local politics and will vote the party ticket. The law will nationalize politics with many voters focusing on the party rather than individual candidates for local offices. It will make it much harder for an independent to win office.”
Republicans at nearly every level of government panned the legislation, including New York State Republican Chairman Ed Cox.
“This radical change to longstanding election law effectively nationalizes elections in which voters would otherwise focus on local issues – issues which put progressive Democrats’ atrocious mismanagement of New York in the spotlight,” Cox said.
“With their total control of Albany, the power-hungry progressive Democrats now want to consolidate and make permanent one-party control at every level of government to impose their ideology across the state.”
However, one of the local state legislators who supported the measure, state Sen. Peter Harckham (D-Lewisboro), told The Examiner in June that he thought it was wrong that as few as 20 percent of eligible voters in a community decide town elections.
“In some communities, 20 percent of the voters select who’s going to represent the other 80 percent,” Harckham said at the time. “To me that’s almost not representative democracy. If you can have 60, 70, 80 percent turnout that’s better representation. That is a more adequate and realistic representation of the voting public and who’s weighing in, regardless of party.”
He had dismissed Republicans’ arguments that it would give Democrats an advantage throughout the state. He said turnout will be greater in Republican strongholds putting Democrats at a disadvantage in those races.
‘Birds and Bees’ Legislation
In another bill signing Friday for legislation that was championed by most environmentalists, environmental conservation law will be amended to make certain hunting contests, competitions, tournaments and derbies that allow for the take of large numbers of wildlife unlawful.
The legislation doesn’t ban hunting or fishing but protects New York’s rich biodiversity by prohibiting the wasteful taking of certain wildlife.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
