RIP local elections—Albany just killed them

Don Scott

Driving through Greenwich the other day, I couldn’t help noticing a sight that’s becoming rare just across the border in New York: a forest of campaign signs. Names of candidates for selectman, tax collector, and town clerk dotted lawns and intersections. In Connecticut, as in most of the country, local elections are held in odd-numbered years, so voters focus on their communities rather than national politics. It was a refreshing reminder of what local democracy looks like when people are talking about schools, roads, and zoning instead of presidents and senators.

That kind of civic engagement is about to disappear in New York. The state’s new Even-Year Elections Law, recently upheld by New York's highest court, will move most town and county elections to coincide with national contests for president, senator, and Congress. Albany sold the change as a way to boost turnout, but the result will be to bury local issues under the avalanche of national partisanship.

When voters turn out in a presidential year, they’re focused on Washington, not Town Hall. Local candidates and issues will be drowned out by the noise and money of national campaigns. Voters who show up to cast a ballot for president will rarely linger over the names of candidates for town board, highway superintendent, or justice court. Party loyalty, not local knowledge, will drive decisions. Those offices could literally be relegated to the 20th or 30th position on the ballot.

National party platforms are poor criteria for selecting local officials. The issues that matter most—potholes, zoning, recreation, and taxes—cut across party lines. For two centuries, New York’s local elections have been held in odd years to preserve that separation. The new law throws away that tradition and the principle of home rule that goes with it.

Just as troubling as the law itself was how it passed. It was rushed through Albany in the early morning hours without public hearings or meaningful input from local leaders—many of whom loudly objected. A bad process produces bad laws, and this one is no exception.

County executives and town supervisors and clerks across the state opposed the measure, warning that it would weaken accountability and civic connection. They were ignored. The result is a law that treats local government as an afterthought. As one judge noted, ballots could end up containing dozens of contests. You may have so many offices that you might need a picnic table to read them all, since New York election law requires that all the contests be on one page. Good luck with that.

Some Albany lawmakers, to their credit, recognized the danger. Republican Matt Slater of Yorktown and Democrat Chris Burdick of Bedford—both former town supervisors—voted against the measure. Having governed at the local level, they understood how vital it is to keep local elections focused and independent from national elections. Unfortunately, their colleagues chose party advantage over good government.

For a brief moment, it looked as though the courts might rescue common sense. A state judge struck the law down as unconstitutional, ruling that the legislature had no right to override local charters. But that ruling was later reversed, restoring the law and confirming that, for now, political convenience outweighs civic principle.

I can’t quarrel with the courts; this is ultimately a legislative failure. The goal should be to strengthen democracy by increasing both participation and understanding. Simply moving local elections to coincide with national ones may boost raw turnout, but it will come at the cost of informed, engaged voting on local issues. That is not progress, it’s regression.

So as I drove through Greenwich, admiring the spirited competition for town offices, I felt a pang of envy. Connecticut’s voters still get to choose their local leaders in elections that belong to their communities. In New York, that tradition is coming to an end. The campaign signs will still go up, but few will notice them, lost amid the noise of a presidential year. And with them will go something even harder to replace: Citizens engaged in local democracy. So enjoy and appreciate your last odd-year election.