Just on Tuesday night, we learned that the New York State Supreme Court, courtesy of a Syracuse judge, ruled that perhaps one of the most vitriolic products to come out of one-party-rule Albany was ruled unconstitutional.
In December 2023, just before Christmas, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) signed a bill sponsored by Albany Democrats in both chambers to transition off-year, local elections to coincide with even-numbered years.
While the move seems arbitrary at first, it would have had much bigger consequences down the ballot.
The even-year elections produce results on the presidential, state, and congressional levels, with some local offices sprinkled in. In Suffolk County, we elect our Sheriff, Comptroller, Clerk, and some other municipal offices during even years.
The off-year elections, or those taking place in odd-numbered years, are when local and municipal elections take place. We just had an off-year election in Suffolk last year, which saw the office of County Executive up for re-election, as well as all eighteen County Legislature seats, Islip and Brookhaven Town supervisorships, councilmanic elections in our three towns of coverage – as well as the other seven – and various town board races, such as Town Clerk, Town Tax Receiver, and Town Highway Superintendent.
The point of these elections is to keep the hyperlocal elections away from the hot-button issues and down-ballot coattails of office seekers of higher levels.
It’s no secret that presidential years are a boon to a party of control in any given state, as presidential energy is likely to coalesce down the ballot around other elections. Presidential years are often seen as best opportunities for the parties to make gains in the state legislatures, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate. Midterm years can prove that the pendulum can swing farther to the left or right in some states more than usually considered, with the national environment being the primary barometer for political moods.
But Albany Democrats tried to rob the rank-and-file electorate of their autonomy by ensuring the off-year elections that see local races coincide with the larger-scale, often-heated races on the national scale.
Localities, regardless of their party preference, do not deserve to be ripped off by political moods of a highly controversial election, nor should local control be dependent on a national wave year across the country. Such waves have been observed almost like clockwork for the last few decades, with 2022 being largely anomalous to results that presidential midterm years often carry.
Furthermore, the local races are those that often produce elected officials who stand to make decisions that are the most obvious to and felt by the public. These are people who live in your neighborhoods, who very often have the same vested interests as you do. Why sacrifice that type of autonomy under any circumstance?
Albany Democrats were quick with mental gymnastics, however, claiming that the even-year switch was necessary to prevent “voter fatigue,” streamline the process for election workers, and offer traditionally overlooked blocs of the electorate more power at the ballot box.
After the Governor’s decision to sign this bill last year, we editorialized the move as “partisan damage control,” in that New York Democrats understand that the state is becoming more competitive. In order to stop the bleeding, rather than make a sincere pitch to voters, or perhaps refrain from their pathologically altruistic and progressively myopic viewpoints, they thought they could cover up the stark turnaround in the Empire State by pulling the blue wool over voters’ eyes and insisting that the “voters have spoken.”
Of course, they’ll never admit the quiet part out loud, but these are some of the finest politicians in the country, doing what politicians – expressly not elected officials – do best: consolidate power.
Let’s start with “voter fatigue,” the concept that voters should not be subjected to annual onslaughts of campaign messaging, solicitations, and candidate research.
Democrats often opine that “democracy” is in danger in this country – even though we’re more of a constitutional republic than anything. So, why would they be opposed to annual political participation? If Albany legislators have to work each year, so should the electorate. It’s incumbent upon us to be fastidious in understanding the issues and who the elected officials and candidates are, especially those who live around the corner from us and make decisions that directly affect us. Moreover, those same local elected officials should be afforded the opportunity to make their pitches to voters without having the oxygen sucked out of the room by a highly-contentious presidential race or a national battle for congressional control.
It’s a privilege to have such electoral power on so many levels every year. Other countries would give everything they have to exercise that right, and many do by emigrating to this great country. We at least owe it to this country’s heritage to remain politically conscious and active. If that’s not for you, then that’s your prerogative, but it doesn’t negate the ramifications of this bill.
Also discussed were overlooked communities and increasing their political participation, namely minority and/or financially destitute communities. It’s a perfectly fine impetus, but this bill wouldn’t accomplish that.
The Ninth District of the Suffolk County Legislature was almost the site of a shocking upset last year, when barely-active candidate Dr. Theresa Bryant (R-Central Islip) lost to Legislator Samuel Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) by just ten points. For several years in the 2010s, Republicans didn’t even run a candidate here.
The evidence shows that minority communities don’t need platitudes from Albany and choices that are deemed easy made for them. We find it patronizing and insulting to the intelligence of such communities, as it is for any other community in Suffolk.
Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) was the only Democrat of the six on the horseshoe to side with Hauppauge Republicans to sue the state over the idea. We commend him for bucking his party and recognizing a bad idea when he sees one.
Finally, the logistical concerns are seen as a nightmare for poll workers. Not only would the ballots be massive, but machines and workers would likely have to accommodate for the monstrous pieces of paper we would be given.
The question of voter fatigue is one assumption, but what about poll worker fatigue? They already work upwards of fourteen hours per day, not counting what hours they might have to spend into the night tabulating results. Are we to hand them an even more grueling work environment that might encourage them to not sign up again next year?
The most ironic aspect of this bill? New York City was exempt. If it’s such a great idea, why wasn’t New York City required to play ball like the rest of us?
Rules for thee, but not for me, we suppose.
All in all, we’re relieved to see this bill be ruled unconstitutional by the state’s highest court. Albany Democrats have appealed, but twenty other chartered counties signed onto the lawsuit. We remain optimistic that local control will remain with the counties and municipalities.
