I wanted to write to you today because several major news stories came to the forefront this week. In fact, this has been one of the busiest and most consequential weeks of my career. It showcases the need for continued vigilance in safeguarding our voters and ensuring their voices are heard. Sometimes that responsibility falls directly on the office of Democratic Elections Commissioner. I want to share with you how, working with other Democratic leaders, we are addressing these challenges.
Term Limits: Making Sure Voters Get a Choice
We finally have a resolution to the term-limit battle that has put our community in the national spotlight.
The County Executive’s confusing decision to sign both an approval and a veto of the bipartisan 12-year term-limit resolution passed by the County Legislature became the subject of some of the most intense news coverage of my career. Furthermore, my counterpart decided not to accept the term-limit resolution as transmitted by the Onondaga County Legislature Clerk—an action I believed was improper.
On August 5, I made the difficult decision to act by suing my counterpart. Without action, we risked leaving this question unresolved and denying voters the opportunity to decide the issue this year. At the time I filed the lawsuit, there was no legally viable path forward to placing term limits on the ballot.
Now there is.
We have reached a settlement among all parties that will put term limits before the voters this year. This was a team effort, with the steady leadership of Onondaga County Legislature Chair Nicole Watts proving vital. Like any compromise, the result is not perfect. But we are in a better position than we were before I acted, and most importantly, the voters of Onondaga County will get to make the decision this year.
I consider that fulfilling my obligation to the voters I serve.
You can read my full statement here.
Protecting Our Polling Places
The term-limit dispute is not the only national news story our community has faced in recent months.
During the June 23 primary, ICE agents entered a Syracuse polling place while voting was underway. Fortunately, no voters were present at the time, and the visit involved a single poll inspector’s social media activity. Nevertheless, the incident raised concerns nationwide. As far as anyone can determine, this was the first time ICE agents entered an operating polling place.
That is why I appeared this week before the Public Safety Committee of the Onondaga County Legislature to support Legislator Ellen Block’s resolution seeking to protect our polling places and voters from future interference.
Polling places must be places where every eligible voter can exercise their rights without fear or outside interference. It is important that we continue speaking up to defend voters and the integrity of our polling places, and I applaud Legislator Block’s effort to do so.
You can watch my testimony here.
Making Sure Every Lawful Vote Is Counted
One of the most difficult responsibilities of an Elections Commissioner is overseeing close elections and contested primaries.
In the Democratic primary for the 16th District of the Onondaga County Legislature, the race came down to just seven votes. On top of that, allegations of fraud were raised by one side.
In situations like this, an Elections Commissioner has a responsibility to put aside politics, uphold the law, and protect the rights of every voter. I worked with the New York State Board of Elections to ensure that the Onondaga County Board of Elections followed the law and counted the properly cast votes of the citizens of the district.
After a long and drawn-out court case, our interpretation of the law was upheld, the votes were counted, an
d eight weeks after the primary, we were finally able to certify a winner this week.
You can read about the case here.
Why I Am Seeking Another Term
Standing up for voters is why I am running for another term as your Democratic Elections Commissioner.
My experience and my relationships with local, state, and national leaders allow me to bring results for the voters of Onondaga County. I am a zealous defender of the right of voters to cast their ballots and make their choices free from outside influence or hindrance.
Sometimes that means I must take on Republicans. Sometimes it means disagreeing with fellow Democrats. But it will always mean putting the rights and interests of voters first.
That is the responsibility you entrusted to me, and it is the responsibility I am asking you to entrust to me again.
I Want to Hear From You
Since launching my re-election campaign on August 1, I have personally connected with more than 200 Democratic Committee members. My goal is to speak personally with all 500 members of our committee before the October 1 reorganizational meeting.
I am coming to your next Town or Ward meeting. However, if you cannot attend or your committee has not yet scheduled a meeting, I am also providing Zoom opportunities so we can talk directly.
My next Zoom meeting is this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. You can sign up here.
Of course, I am also happy to connect with you individually. You can call me at 315-383-4318 or email me at any time.
I look forward to hearing from you, earning your support, and continuing to work together to protect the voters of Onondaga County—this election and beyond.
Dustin M. Czarny 