New York’s 2025 election cycle could be the last time voters head to the polls solely to decide local races, according to state legislators who warn that a new law shifting local elections to even-numbered years will erode community representation and voter focus.
The controversial law, signed earlier this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul and upheld by New York’s Court of Appeals, moves county, town, and village elections from odd to even-numbered years to coincide with state and federal contests. Critics say it is a partisan maneuver designed to give Democrats an edge in local elections, as community issues will be buried under the noise of national politics.
“For Long Island, the 2025 local elections will likely be the last of their kind,” said Assemblyman Joe DeStefano, noting that Democrats who approved the change excluded New York City. “They want the local elections mixed in with the state and federal elections to give their candidates a better chance of winning. This will trivialize their importance, as high-profile races drown out community issues like zoning, schools, and infrastructure.”
Assemblyman Will Barclay, leader of the Republican Caucus, called the change “an unnecessary and partisan maneuver forced upon voters under the guise of cost savings.” He warned that residents will pay less attention to local government decisions that directly affect their lives.
DeStefano echoed those concerns, saying local elections are where accountability begins. “People know their town supervisors, council members, and local legislators,” he said. “When you push those races further down the ballot, you weaken the connection between the people and their government.”
Legal challenges are pending that could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Regardless of what number the year ends in, voting matters,” Barclay added. “But this change risks silencing the very voices that make local democracy work.”