“What’s next: are we gonna put people in jail for a typo?” Czarny said “Commissioner Bacon has my full support and I hope Congresswoman Stefanik has as much zeal to defend our democracy, which has been under attack by the president she supports.”
Two interviews one podcast (Dustin Czarny & Roger Misso)
A discussion on NY 22, a reflection on 2020, and discussion on reforms coming in 2021.
Zoom with Czarny: Liza Abraham NYDLC
In today’s Zoom with Czarny I talk to Liza Abraham, executive director of the New York Democratic Lawyers Council. We talk about her work to help with voter protection in the Georgia Senate, the insurrection and following impeachment, as well as their hopes to better New York Democracy in the upcoming New York legislative session. I hope you enjoy.
STEWART-COUSINS PRESENTS MAJOR VOTING REFORM PACKAGE – YonkersTimes
Dustin Czarny, Onondaga County Elections Commissioner and Chair Democratic Caucus of the NYS Elections Commissioners Association, said, “These legislative changes will go a long way towards fixing some of the byzantine process we have in New York. Improving our absentee and vote by mail system will not only give voters more options but will give clear direction to Boards of Elections across the state. I am happy to support these bills.”
http://yonkerstimes.com/stewart-cousins-presents-major-voting-reform-package/
Wonky Wednesday: City of Syracuse Enrollments
The City of Syracuse is the center of Onondaga County spiritually, politically, and physically. Though it makes up only 24% of the registered voters the media market is dominated by the races in its borders. This year proves to be no different as Mayor Ben Walsh (I) is up for re-election. His unlikely 3rd party win in2017 was the rare non-Democratic victory in the last 20 years inside the City of Syracuse. The elections in Syracuse tend to end after the June primary as the County GOP has all but given up running serious campaigns. In 2021 in addition to the Mayor there will be a City Court Judge’s seat, the Common Council President, 2 councilor at-large, 5 district councils, and 3 Syracuse School Board seats.
As expected the City of Syracuse is dominated by the Democratic party. 57% of the City of Syracuse are registered Democrats. The next group of voters is actually voters not enrolled in a political party at 24%. Republicans make up just 13% of the registered voters inside the City of Syracuse and the remaining 6% are Conservatives, Working Families, or other 3rd party voters. The City is also broken up into 5 Common Council Districts. The district lines have not been altered in over 20 years leading to an imbalance in population and voter registrations. These lines will be re-drawn by a Citizen led redistricting commission however they will be in place for the 2021 elections.
The Democratic dominance in the City of Syracuse has not waned in the last 12 years. In fact the GOP has lost significant ground, specially in the last 4 years. The GOP has lost nearly a third of their enrolled voters since 2009 while Democrats have added to their total by nearly ten percent.
Non-enrolled voters have become the 2nd bloc of voters in Syracuse and it is at an increasing rate. Non-enrolled population overtook the GOP around the year 2001 during the election of Mayor Matthew Driscoll. Since then non-enrolled voters have grown considerably. Now Non-enrolled voters are nearly double the enrolled Republicans.
The 5 Common Council districts are also overwhelmingly Democrat. The 1st Common Council District though is the last bastion of the GOP. Joe Carni has held this seat for 6 years after wresting it from the Democrats. This is the only seat that has been obtainable for the GOP going back and forth for every two to 4 years since 2009. The other 4 seats have been solidly in Democratic hands for two decades.
Next week we will take a bird’s eye view of the suburbs and towns in Onondaga County which is where Republican’s have historically dominated but Democrats have had incredible growth over the last ten years.
Cuomo proposes changes to NY absentee ballot counting, early voting – Auburnpub.com
Dustin Czarny, an Onondaga County elections commissioner, supports Cuomo’s proposals. He agrees that the absentee ballot counting process needs to be reformed because “we can’t be the last state that counts absentee ballots.”
NY SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ADVANCES COMPREHENSIVE ELECTION REFORMS – Black Star News
Dustin Czarny, Onondaga County Elections Commissioner and Chair Democratic Caucus of the NYS Elections Commissioners Association, said, “These legislative changes will go a long way towards fixing some of the byzantine process we have in New York. Improving our absentee and vote by mail system will not only give voters more options but will give clear direction to Boards of Elections across the state. I am happy to support these bills.”
Commissioner in a Car: 2021 Political Calendar
In today’s episode I review the important dates from the 2021 Political Calendar. I also continue to react to the Georgia Senate runoffs as well the insurrection we all experienced on January 6, 2021. You can get a copy of the political calendar at onvote.net
Joint Letter from NYSECA Caucus Chairs on the challenges for Boards of Elections in 2020
New York’s Board of Elections (BOE) Commissioners and our staff-members are dedicated public servants, duty sworn to administer free and fair elections, and our work this year was nothing short of miraculous. In our selected careers, we endeavor to make elections better in New York for the 13 million voters we serve in each of our respective counties. Working together with lawmakers and advocacy groups we can forge an improved election system that makes sure the needs of voters, candidates, and parties are equally considered with full transparency while strengthening our bi-partisan system. We must build upon the many successes of 2020 while identifying and resolving inadequacies, reform laws that need fixing, provide comprehensive and standardized training and persuade our state and local lawmakers that adequate funding is essential to the public’s confidence in our democratic system.
As BOEs headed into 2020, we expected this Presidential cycle would be difficult, but nobody could’ve predicted the year that will go down in the history books. We prepared to hold 3 different elections; anticipated intense campaigning with overwhelming turnout, limited resources, and increasing rhetoric about the integrity of elections that were arguably “not helpful”. Then in March as the specter of COVID-19 started to appear, like every facet of our daily lives, the election world was turned on its head. The already challenging election season became a perilous race filled with ever changing obstacles, last-minute Executive Orders, weekly rule changes and now a life-threatening environment for Election Day workers and officials deemed essential whom didn’t have the option of staying home.
Throughout the entire season, Boards of Elections equally represented by both major parties rose to meet these challenges and deserve support as we continue to face hurdles in 2021. It is always an Election year for us.
Hindsight is 20/20 therefore it is helpful to remember all the obstacles that we faced in the year 2020:
– Petition process that enables ballot access was abruptly cut short.
– The Presidential election scheduled for April was moved, then cancelled, then reinstated.
– A host of special elections were moved and then cancelled.
– County budgets that fund BOEs went dry.
– Primary Elections became hybrids of federal and local contests for a system designed to hold one election at a time.
– Training and recruiting election inspectors during a raging pandemic proved to be nearly impossible.
– Absentee Ballot use rose by over 400% not only creating a fiscal burden but also staffing requirements on our infrastructure designed for in-person voting.
– Polling sites refusing to open their doors and those who did had to be re-imagined for the implementation of “social distancing”.
All these obstacles were met and largely overcome despite record turnout, the ever-changing goal posts and local governments facing bankruptcy. Voters were provided safe and reasonable voting options through absentee voting, Election Day voting and Early Voting with significantly more sites offered above the minimum established by the statute. Republican and Democratic Commissioners alike provided assurances to voters and candidates that the election results, though painstakingly methodical, are accurate. No election is perfect, and we must learn from the challenges these obstacles provided, pray that 2020 is an isolated anomaly and adapt. The answers though do not point to a radical redesign of the very election system that met the herculean challenges of 2020. Working to strengthen BOEs while identifying areas that need to be improved is the best way forward for New York.
We urge the State legislature to provide adequate funding to the State BOE to meet the ever-increasing responsibilities that have been assigned to it over the last few years. We must analyze and revise our laws accordingly to provide standardization and a uniform fix to administering elections during times of local, national and worldwide strife. Finally, we must provide resources to County Board of Elections so they can adequately comply with their mandates while enabling Commissioners to fulfill their oaths of office and insulate them from partisan retribution for faithfully carrying out their duties.
Sincerely,
Dustin M. Czarny, Democratic Caucus Chair, Commissioner Onondaga County (Democrat)
Erik J. Haight, Republican Caucus Chair, Commissioner Dutchess County (Republican)
published here:
Zoom with Czarny: CNY Solidarity’s Thomas Keck
I am very pleased to bring you this timely interview with SU Professor Tom Keck. We discuss in depth the insurrection on January 6th, the options available to the congress, and what the new Democratic senate may mean for court reform. I hope you enjoy and are safe.
Dustin M. Czarny 