“This isn’t about Republican and Democrat politics. This is about keeping our local elections local.”
— Ken Ronk, Shawangunk, minority leader
Recriminations, remonstration, bitter acrimony. The time for high-flown rhetoric and tumultuous debate at the county level had arrived. All the Republicans and three Democratic legislators called on governor Kathy Hochul to use her veto power to reject a state-level bill phasing out the odd-year election calendar for most local elections.
Two Democratic sponsors in Albany, James Skoufis in the State Senate and Amy Paulin in the Assembly, have been arguing that synchronizing local elections with presidential, national and state-level elections will increase voter turnout by skipping two out of every four years.
Ulster County Republican legislators find the pro-democracy rhetoric suspect. They pointed out that the elections for county clerk, sheriff and district attorney are unaffected by the bill and would continue in odd years.
Republican minority leader Ken Ronk, who sponsored the resolution urging the governor to veto the bill, kicked off the fireworks. “There’s a reason why we have local elections held in a different year than our state and federal elections,” insisted Ronk, “and it’s not to tamp down on voter activism or voter engagement.”
Ronk alleged that top-down state legislation usurped the home-rule powers reserved by local governments. He raised questions about the legality and constitutional authority of the bill. “I just don’t think that this is fully thought through,” said Ronk. “I sincerely hope that … the governor vetoes it, because I think it’s bad policy. And I believe, some of my colleagues here and also elsewhere across the state are supportive of it for different reasons than are being stated.”
New York State Democrats now control all the levers of political power at the state level: the governorship, the comptroller’s and the attorney general’s offices, plus veto-proof majorities in the State Senate and the Assembly.
Ronk’s polite insinuation hints at the powerlessness experienced by the political minority and the mutual mistrust between them and the majority.
At the Ulster County Legislature level, Republicans have just seven members in a 23-member body, and so often their influence comes from convincing their opponents of the merits of their arguments. Any sway they have comes from their ability to persuade restive Democratic legislators to join them on particular issues.
Is a heavy turnout good?
According to Republican legislator Kevin Roberts of Plattekill, it’s a safe bet the party in power doesn’t expect to be damaged by a heavy turnout.
“Throughout the state, the Democrats have a five-to-two voter registration advantage,” explained Roberts. “But yet the New York City-controlled house up in Albany continues to try to find ways to tip the scales in their favor, from public financing of campaigns, to same-day voter registration, even up to election day. No-excuse absentee ballots. Next, we’ll probably see ballot harvesting come along.”
Ronk conjectured at the Democrats’ motivation for increasing voter turnout.
“Arguments have been made that this is going to increase participation in local elections,” said Ronk. “I don’t disagree. I think it’s going to increase uninformed and under-informed participation in our local elections based on people who only come out and vote for president, or for the governor, for state and federal elections.”
Legislator Herb Litts held that the idea of holding local elections at the same time as the major national competitions would create major complications in attempts to run for office with a focus on local issues.
“In an odd year, when it’s elected officials that are local, “ predicted Litts, “when you walk up and approach someone at their porch, their front door, they want to talk about local issues because that’s what the election is for. I can’t imagine going next year up to somebody’s porch. When they open the door, they’re going to say, ‘What’s going on with Trump and Biden?’ They’re not gonna want to hear about our local issues. We’re going to be overshadowed.”
For most Democratic legislators, this was all obfuscation and cynical fear mongering. Majority leader Abe Uchitelle, of Kingston was sublimely unbothered by the possibility of a higher voter turnout.
“I might have a little bit more confidence in our electorate,” said Uchitelle. “We need to put a little bit more confidence in the electorate to be able to decide for themselves what really matters to them and what they want to hear from us. We have communities across this country that are going in two different directions. We have some communities that are trying to make voting more accessible, and we have some communities that are trying to make voting more restrictive. I am excited that New York is moving to make voting more accessible, I am excited that we can look forward to higher turnout.”
Brian Cahill of the Town of Ulster approached the issue head-on.
“That’s what they don’t like,” said Cahill, speaking of the Republicans. “Be honest. Say it. You don’t like the idea that on even-numbered years, more Democrats more progressives come out and vote, and that will hurt your chances of keeping the town boards and other county and other local offices in places like Ulster County, where there are [25,000] more Democrats than Republicans, and yet some of the boards are controlled by Republicans. So this will engage those voters, encourage them to come out more, get more involved in local elections. And I think that’s really what the problem is here, right?”
Drunk on philosophies
The minutes dragged out. Some legislators spoke once, then twice, and then as if growing drunk on their own philosophies, sought to borrow time from members within their caucus to speak again. They continued heedlessly, irrespective of whether their arguments would persuade, unable to let disagreeable words hang in the air unchallenged. All the while they must have known how the vote would end but oration is a seducer’s art, and they seduced themselves.
“We have nine days of early voting,” said Ronk. “We’ve got absentee ballots. You can just fill out a form online, and an absentee ballot gets sent to your house. Anybody who’s not voting in the local year is not going to vote in an even numbered year on local issues. It’s just not going to happen. You’re going to have more people coming out to vote absolutely. Because they’re coming out to vote for the president, for Congress and for Senate and Assembly. And for governor. But again, you’re not increasing voter participation in local elections. You’re fixing local elections for the party that’s in power. That’s the end. So, exactly how does this make voting easier?”
And here began chaos.
Legislature chair Tracey Bartels intervened between a question asked through her by Ronk to another legislator, which is how questions within the legislature are addressed to colleagues.
“Let’s let this be a rhetorical question,” interceded Bartels. “I don’t think we need to have a debate on this.”
“Are you out of your mind?” asked Ronk, sounding shocked. “This is the legislature,” he said. “We have debates here.”
When legislator Aaron Levine shared a story in which he had heard constituents compare having to vote with going to the dentist for a root canal, legislator Megan Sperry sensed her loquacious colleagues might be becoming verbally inebriated, She attempted to conclude the debate through a legal mechanism known as calling the question.
The attempt caused an immediate uproar.
Multiple long roll calls later, the debate over whether to vote for a resolution to encourage the governor to use her veto was finally concluded. Legislator Litts had been offended by the idea that anyone would compare the privilege to vote with a root canal, Legislator Kathy Nolan had come out against mandatory voting, and Ronk had promised to introduce a rule at the next legislature meeting named in chair Bartels’ honor which would prevent future chairs from preventing debate.
A suggestion offered by rookie legislator Tricia Bowen earned unanimous approval. “I think if we really wanted to increase voter participation,” Bowen said, “we would make Election Day a holiday, so that working people would actually come out and vote.”
The idea generated applause throughout the room.
In the end, three Democratic legislators, Joe Maloney, Chris Hewitt and Manna Joe Greene, voted with the Republicans. The resolution failed on a 10-11 vote.
Ulster County Republicans were left with the hope that Hochul’s time in local government will help her understanding of their concerns.
During the long roll call on the vote where any member of the legislature may speak, legislator Litts had recovered his sense of humor. Called upon to vote, he said he had detected a flaw in legislator Bowen’s suggestion.
“I liked the idea of making Election Day a holiday,” said Litts. “But I think you’ll find the voting public will want it every year … and not every other year. So if we mandate voting and we make Election Day a holiday, we will be voting in an odd year.”
Join the family! 
