The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a new state law that will move most local elections to even-numbered years to align with state and federal races, according to court documents released Monday.
The move comes after New York’s highest court, the state Court of Appeals, ruled in October that the law is constitutional.
Passed by the New York state Legislature and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December 2023, the law moves most town and county races outside of New York City to even-numbered years to coincide with races for Congress, governor or president. The change excludes villages and races for county clerk, sheriff, district attorneys, local judges and others protected under the state Constitution.
State lawmakers modeled the law after a similar policy in Colorado, and said at the time it would be good for democracy and streamlined elections would decrease costs for localities. Supporters cite national research that voter turnout increases by at least 18% during presidential election years.
Opponents to the law have argued the change erodes the power of local governments and it conflicts individual county charters. Twenty New York counties are chartered, meaning they have locally drafted and approved laws outlining the structure and authority of county government, and there have been three separate amendments in the state Constitution allowing for and protecting counties’ abilities to govern through charters.
Challengers also argued the law is not a “general law,” which applies alike to all counties other than those wholly included within a city, all cities, all towns or all villages. Skeptics have worried the change will mean local interests will have to compete for attention with more widely covered state and national issues.