For Immediate Release
New York, N.Y. (December 22, 2023) – Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum following the Governor signing into law bill S3505B (Skoufis)/A4282A (Paulin), which will move certain local elections outside of New York City to even-numbered years. In January of this year, Citizens Union released Moving Municipal Elections to Even-Numbered Years, a report detailing the benefits of consolidating New York City’s municipal elections with presidential or gubernatorial elections:
“Citizens Union applauds Governor Kathy Hochul for signing into law legislation to move county and town elections to even-numbered years and thanks State Senator James Skoufis and Assembly Member Amy Paulin for their leadership in getting this bill passed. This marks a momentous achievement in the ongoing effort to bolster civic participation in New York.
“Aligning local elections with high-profile races will lead to increased voter turnout, particularly among young people and people of color.
“This legislation is only the first step in creating an election calendar that serves voters and encourages participation, and lawmakers have committed to passing more comprehensive legislation through a constitutional amendment that moves local elections to even years across the entire state, including municipal elections in New York City.”
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