New York Republicans file federal challenge to state's even-year election law
BROOKLYN (CN) New York Republicans on Thursday slammed state leadership in a lawsuit over the contentious rule change that moves certain local elections to even-numbered years.
In a 28-page complaint filed in Brooklyns federal court, the New York Republican State Committee along with three counties, eight towns and more than a dozen elected officials and candidates claim that the law suppresses local speech, increases racial polarization and erodes democracy.
Cloaked in the rhetoric of increased voter turnout, the law is a calculated attempt to centralize top-of-the-ticket political power at the expense of local democracy, they argue.
Currently, local elections in New York take place in odd-numbered years, while statewide and national ones are reserved for even-numbered years. But in 2023, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul signed the scrutinized change into law, consolidating some local races to even-numbered years starting this fall.
https://courthousenews.com/new-york-republicans-file-federal-challenge-to-states-even-year-election-law/