New York Democrats have already mandated that town, village, and county elections be held during the midterms or when the presidency is on the line to give their candidates a Blue State bump. Now they have their sights set on sheriffs and district attorneys.
A bill winding its way through Albany would move the law enforcement elections to even-numbered years, a maneuver opposed by good-government advocates and the DAs and sheriffs themselves.
“Our main objection is that nothing should be further from national political winds than independently elected law enforcement officers,” said Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “Those who only vote in national elections and who do not even know who is running in countywide races will dilute the votes of informed voters.”
The push follows a broader strategy that began with town board members, mayors, legislators, and county executives—all previously running in the off years. Albany Democrats moved them despite concerns that local issues and candidates would be overshadowed by national politics and massive campaign spending. With Democrats outnumbering Republicans throughout the state, large turnouts in even-numbered years would give their candidates a decided edge.
Notably, lawmakers carved out an exception for New York City, where municipal elections remain on an odd-year cycle. Critics argue that if the goal is simply increasing voter turnout, there is no logical reason to exempt the state’s largest city.
“This is not for the voters. This is nothing but more partisan politics from the Democrats,” Senator Dean Murray charged. “This is their plan to stop getting their butts kicked in the suburbs.”
“One-party rule has been disastrous for New York ever since the Republicans lost the Senate in 2018,” noted Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano. “With the Democrats in full control, they’ve increased spending by $90 billion since 2021, making us one of the highest-taxed states. They will do anything to hold onto their power and continue helping themselves to enormous amounts of money from the taxpayers.”
Senator Murray pointed out that the new scheme requires a state constitutional amendment that would have to be approved in a public referendum. “This would be the public’s chance to push back. If and when it happens, they need to vote no. They absolutely must vote no,” he said.
Murray also criticized lawmakers for exempting New York City from the proposal, noting that city voters previously rejected a move to hold local elections in even-numbered years. “They put it on the ballot last year and asked the voters, ‘Do you want your local elections in even years?’ It got voted down,” he noted. “So now they’re going to try something it everywhere else but the city.”
Sheriffs and district attorneys occupy unique positions in local government. They oversee law enforcement, public safety, and criminal prosecutions. Their elections have traditionally been held separately from the noise of national campaigns, allowing voters to focus on local qualifications, experience, and performance.
“There will be less accountability, and ineffective or bad sheriffs and DAs could remain in office as long as they are in the winning party,” Tierney warned.
“The last four presidential elections were each won by different parties,” Assemblyman DeStefano pointed out. “Such wild swings would disrupt law enforcement operations in important areas like fighting the fentanyl epidemic, solving cold cases, and combating gun violence, where multi-year strategies are vital. What if there had been a landslide in 2024 that had thrown out our District Attorney Ray Tierney while he was prosecuting the Gilgo murder case?”