An Albany initiative that rankled suburban officials–holding federal, state, county, and local elections all on the same day–is the subject of a lawsuit brought by Long Island municipal leaders. The measure is seen as a heavy-handed move by the Democrats to make inroads into suburban elections that trend toward the GOP.
“This is a bad idea,” said Suffolk Executive Edward Romaine, who previously served as Brookhaven Town supervisor. “Town and county elections won’t get the attention they deserve, especially in a presidential election year or when the governor is running. These are the offices closest to the people, and these elections should be set apart from state and federal races.”
Other officials said ballots will become overly complicated and the races at the end of the card will be short-shrifted. “The ballot will look like a diner menu with so many races, people will lose interest,” said Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano. “Local issues will get lost in the sauce.”
“The irony is lost on no one when you see that they excluded all of the cities from this,” noted Senator Dean Murray. “New York City is excluded; Buffalo is excluded; all of the big five cities controlled by the Democrats are excluded. It only affects the suburbs where Republicans have strongholds. The goal of this was to obviously take more county executive positions and more local positions. Because they have the registration advantage, they want a higher turnout for the local races,” Murray explained, adding, “It’s just a shame that a party that claims to be pro-democracy is taking so many steps to kill our democracy.”
The issue led Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to tell Gov. Kathy Hochul that she is no longer welcome in his county. The Democrats are seen to be concerned that with the election of Romaine in November and Republican control of many Long Island townships and countywide offices, they are losing their grip on a significant part of the state they once dominated.
According to the suit, consolidating the ballot “increases the burdens associated with casting a vote, fundraising, and generating support for candidates, among other essential campaigning activities, while contributing to voter fatigue due to higher numbers of issues and/or candidates on the ballot. Meanwhile, the purported benefits of the Even Year Election Law — such as increased voter turnout and cost savings — are entirely illusory.” The Suffolk Legislature voted 13-5 to support the lawsuit despite opposition from the Democrats.
Also looking to block the change, which was signed into law by Hochul last year and is slated to take effect with the 2026 elections, is Hempstead Town. Another complaint was filed in Jefferson County by two voters believing the changes violate the state’s constitution. In Suffolk, county Republican Chairman said, “Democrats can’t win at the ballot box, so they continue to try and change the rules of the game.”
“If town and county offices were on the ballot this year along with the presidential race, major issues such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the open Southern Border, and inflation would drown out any local concerns,” Assemblyman DeStefano said. “This is what the Democrats want. It’s the only way they can sneak their candidates in.”