Even-year elections will move forward as Supreme Court declines to weigh in
The Supreme Court, without comment, issued a raft of denials Monday. Credit: AP/Rahmat Gul
New York’s law moving local elections to even-numbered years will stay in place after the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it won’t hear an eleventh-hour Republican appeal.
The court, without comment, issued a raft of denials Monday on various cases, including a request for judicial review filed by Rockland County Executive Edwin Day and a number of other Republicans, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
Republicans were hoping the federal court would overturn an October ruling by New York’s top court that the new even-year election law is constitutional.
Democrats hailed the Supreme Court's decision.
"This was never a federal issue, never a constitutional issue," said Jay Jacobs, state Democratic chairman.
State Republican chairman Ed Cox didn’t comment immediately.
The outcome means nearly all county, town and other local elections will move from odd-numbered years, when they have been traditionally held, to even-numbered ones beginning this fall. In cases where an official was elected to a four-year term in 2025 — such as Blakeman in Nassau — the term will be converted to three years, up for reelection in 2028.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Democratic-led State Legislature approved the legislation in 2023, backed by some good-government groups.
One of the advocates’ rationales is that New York traditionally has higher voter turnouts in even-numbered years than odd-numbered years. Supporters of the measure also said it would save county governments the expense of holding elections every single year.
But a key political point is that Democrats historically have a much better turnout during gubernatorial and, especially, presidential years.
Republicans contend the move will nationalize local elections and local elections will suffer from lack of attention. But they also have acknowledged their candidates have tended to fare better in odd-numbered years.
In October, New York’s top court rejected Republicans’ claim that moving town and county elections required a constitutional amendment approved by voters.
The new law doesn’t apply to New York City or certain countywide offices such as district attorney.
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