This week I sit down with Francis Conole, the Democratic candidate for #NY22. We talk about the new district, his primary win, and his vision for Central New York. We also talk about the differences with his opponent and how he will flip this seat blue. Enjoy.
Sept. 27, 2022 – Onondaga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny explains how tensions have escalated in recent years at polling sites and advocates for legislation imposing tougher penalties for threatening election workers.
Over 8500 ballots will be in the mail as of tomorrow for the General Election. I go over everything you need to know to apply and vote by absentee. Go to onvote.net to apply today.
Important dates:
Apply for an absentee by Mail October 24
Apply for an absentee in person by November 7
Postmark or turn in absentee by November 8
Call 315-435-VOTE if you don’t receive your absentee within one week of applying starting October 5th.
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Today I turn 50 years old. I am sending this email to tell you about a project I have dedicated the last ten years of my life to, stopping Gerrymandering in Onondaga County. I am asking you consider making a donation to fight gerrymandering in Onondaga County as well as set a precedent to help all communities in new York You can learn more here.
In 2011 the Onondaga County GOP carved up our community with a political gerrymander that enshrined GOP rule in an otherwise blue leaning county. Like many of us across the county we fell asleep at the switch then. For ten years as Elections Commissioner, I have watched how these districts insulated incumbents and protected GOP rule.
In 2021 the Onondaga County GOP went a step further. Not only did they reject and break their promise of a citizen-led redistricting effort, rushed and flawed redistricting process to enact a racial and political gerrymander that violates the New York State redistricting laws and divides our community further. Even Syracuse.com editorial board called for a more transparent process. We stood up together at public hearings and legislature meetings. In the end after one illegal map was vetoed the legislature and County Executive ignored all public comments and rushed through another illegal partisan gerrymander, we had no choice but to take this to court. We vowed to do just that and now we are.
The good news is Onondaga County Democrats are fighting back against the illegal gerrymandered maps of the Onondaga County Legislature. We fought together at the end of last year to try and get fair maps in Onondaga County. Over the last 8 months we have fundraised and put together a group of citizens to file a lawsuit to challenge this map. In our research we found experts that have backed up our claims and honed our legal arguments. We watched as the New York State redistricting process called for a special master.
We believe we have an exceptionally good chance at winning this case and striking a blow against partisan gerrymandering. But we need your help.
We anticipate a costly trial and possible appeal. Our opponents will not lack resources. They will have the backing of the entirety of Onondaga County Government at their disposal. They have already used county funds to contract with an expensive outside counsel to fight us. Our grassroots effort depends on citizen’s good will. We need to raise more money for trial and appeal and additional expert witnesses. Any small donation will help.
In honor of my birthday will you donate $50 today? Any amount can help us in this great cause. You can donate online today: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ocdcddf
In addition to donating, you can also help us by sharing the news on this and the donation link above on your social feeds. It will take all citizens of good will to win this fight and bring fairness to Onondaga County.
This is our last shot at stopping Gerrymandering in Onondaga County. I hope not to have to spend the next ten years fighting for fair redistricting. This lawsuit can ensure fairness for Onondaga County voters and set a precedent for others around the state to fight back against similar plans.
I hope you join us in this fight.
Dustin Czarny
(This is sent from my personal email and not a fundraising list and I will not be sending another after today. Thank you for your patience in reading this.)
Welcome to the #weeklywonk. This is my weekly blog about statistics, registration data, and election law on my website, dustinczarny.com. This is a rebrand of my #wonkywednesday and #sundaythoughts columns I have been writing since 2020. In merging these two side projects together I am hoping to be a little more regular in my production. I have also not tied myself to a particular day to release these columns, hoping to release them weekly on the weekend. This way I can have more time to gather the statistics and resources that I want to devote to these articles. This week I continue my look back at the August 23rd Congressional and State Senate Primary with a breakdown of Election Day Voting.
Election Day for the August 23rd Primary was 6am to 9pm. We had 149 polling places open in Onondaga County. There were county wide congressional races for the Democrats and Republicans. There was also a conservative race for #SD48 which includes Syracuse, and the southern and western border towns. In contrast the to the June primary there were actual local candidates driving turnout and not just statewide races.
There were 26492 Election Day voters in the August 22nd primary. This represented 78% of the overall electorate and by far the most popular voting method. Early Voting was second with 4154 (12%), followed by Absentee 3069 (9%) and Affidavit 181 (1%). Democrats used Election Day more with 15,060 voters (57%). Republicans had 11,134 election day voters (42%) and Conservatives 298 (1%). For the August Primary Democrats outnumbered Republicans in every method of voting.
There were more voters overall in the August primary and that held true for the August Primary. Election Day voting at 78.43% was the most popular method, but the smallest share of turnout since the pandemic primary of June 2020. When comparing to the June Primary there were more 3220 more Election Day voters an increase of 13.8%. However, the voting share of election Day fell by nearly 3% overall. This is likely because the oddly timed primary prompted voters to seek more alternative methods.
St. Joseph’s Parish in Camillus took over the top spot of polling places with 474 voters and last primary’s top polling place N. Syracuse School District fell to second place at 470. Also returning to the top ten of polling places are Manlius Village Centre (459), Immaculate Conception (412), Spiritual Renewal (398), Marcellus Firehouse (395), and Camillus Municipal (353). Three new polling places climbed into the top ten Skaneateles Fire Department (414), Skaneateles Presbyterian (376) and Bellevue Heights (358). The #SD48 conservative race featured a Skaneateles resident (Julie Abbott) and in a low turnout election even small influxes of conservative voters could surge those two Skaneateles polling places to the top ten. Dropping out of the top ten is N. Syracuse Community Center, E. Syracuse Fire Department #2, and Gillette Middle Road School. In N. Syracuse’s case they were a combined polling place with Bellewood Baptist for June only as they had vacation bible school in June.
On Election Day during primaries there is a definitive pattern in busiest hours. Early in the morning is light turnout in the first hour 6am to 7am (468 in August). Turnout rises steadily to its first apex from 10am to 11 Am (2108 in August). Voting then dips a bit and levels off until 4pm. It then rises sharply with the 5pm to 6pm hour the biggest (2819 in August). The hours of 4pmto 5pm and 6pm to 7pm are usually the second and third highest hours all day as well making the busiest time of voting 4pm-7pm (7,544 voters 28.5% of the overall Election Day Vote.). After 7pm voting drops substantially until close of polls. There are always a few voters who check in after 9pm because they walk through the door at 9 but take a few minutes to check in (4 countywide in August).
That does it for this edition of the #weeklyWonk. Next week I will finish my look at the August 23rd Primary by diving into the Overall Turnout performance. After that we resume our look at voter registrations for the General Election with Senate Seats #50 & #48 as well as the towns of Manlius, Onondaga, and Pompey. Check back each week.
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This week I sit down with Christina Cagnina, candidate for Supreme Court in the 5th Judicial District. We talk about her background, what Supreme Court does, and the rigors of running in one of the largest districts in NY politics. Enjoy.
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I believe in transparency in my role as Onondaga County Elections Commissioner. That is why I started this website. In that spirit I am releasing the letter I have emailed and mailed to Onondaga County Democratic Committee members. The vote is October 6th and I have learned I am unopposed however I think it is important to ask for their nomination anyway. I also hope this gives you some insight on my philosophy and goals as one of your elections commissioners.
Being Sworn in for my 5th term as Elections Commissioner in 2020
Dear Democratic Committee Members,
Ten years ago, you gave me the immense honor of nominating me to be your Democratic elections Commissioner. I had no idea then what a momentous point this would become in my life. This was never a job for me. This was and remains a mission. It has now become a fundamental tenet to who I am and outside my family, the main driving force in my life. I would have it no other way. That is why I come before you today to humbly ask for your nomination again for another two-year term.
Testifying in front of the NYS Senate Elections Law Committee 2018
The last decade as Elections Commissioner has seen major change in the electoral landscape in New York and Onondaga County. Most of these changes came as a result of the Democratic takeover of New York Government during the last midterm election in 2019. We have instituted Early Voting, and its expansion. Universal registration has made it easier for voters to move from county to county. Expanded polling options on campuses have allowed us to serve Lemoyne, Syracuse University, and Onondaga Community College better, including winning the long battle to having a campus Early Voting site at OCC. Expanded use of absentee voting during the pandemic has highlighted the need to change the way we canvass absentees in New York. I advised and advocated for the bill that made it possible for us to eliminate challenges of absentees and report results on election nights instead of weeks later.
Showing the filing system and security of absentee ballots in 2020.
I have also tried to make the Onondaga County Board of Elections the most transparent Board in all of New York State. Over the last ten years we have used our website, onvote.net, to make it easier for voters and campaigns to get the information they need. Voters can get links to check their registration and polling place, apply for and track their absentee, and tools for registering for the first time. Our results reporting system gives more data on Election Night than ever before allowing the press and campaigns to know who has and hasn’t reported in real time. We have expanded our results page to include election results going back to 1960 and more is on the way. We also have expanded statistics page tracking BOE performance since 2009.
Addressing the Democratic Caucus of Commissioners at the NYSECA Winter Conference January 2018
Since 2017 I have also had the honor of being the Democratic Caucus Chair of the New York State Elections Commissioner Association. In this role I lead all 62 counties in New York in organizing the Democratic Commissioners and leading them through this tumultuous ever changing electoral landscape in New York. In this role I have been honored to testify several times at the New York State Legislature. I have worked with legislative leaders to introduce, amend, and pass legislation that will make it easier for voters and bring more responsibilities and resources to Boards of Elections statewide.
Press Conference announcing lawsuit over the Onondaga County Gerrymandered legislative lines.
The last four years of my professional career have been dedicated to the cause of fair redistricting. As the 2020 census loomed, I realized the need to change the way we normally redistrict. I partnered with Helen Hudson and Chris Ryan to start Fair Maps CNY. We joined forces with Common Cause to change the way we redistrict inside the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County. In the City of Syracuse, we successfully passed a charter change that ensures all redistricting will be done by an independent citizen led panel. This Panel reshaped City districts and successfully had their map passed by the Common Council this month. Unfortunately, we have not been as successful with the County Legislative redistricting process which is why I have joined the Democratic Caucus lawsuit to challenge the illegal gerrymander of the County lines.
My regular programs on dustinczarny.com
I have personally expanded my own educational outreach as well. During the pandemic I formally expanded my occasional Commissioner in a Car segments to a weekly podcast. I also have added a weekly interview video/podcast Zoom with Czarny interviewing candidates and Democracy advocates. I added a weekly blog The Weekly Wonk to dig into statistics and election law. All of this is hosted at my personal website dustinczarny.com. I do this on my own time with my own money and never take outside donations or advertisements as this is part of my mission to educate the public.
Addressing the Onondaga County Democratic Committee in 2016
We have a unique opportunity in Onondaga County. The changing demographics are allowing us to compete in the suburbs and county wide. For the first time in my over 25-year career in this party the electorate is ready for Democratic government in all corners of our county and county wide. However, to truly take advantage of this we need unity. There will be change in our party with a new leadership taking over this October. We also have a chance at taking congress this year. I urge all of us running for office on October 6th to unite on October 7th and focus on this year’s races while preparing for the county races next year. Unity does not mean that we abandon races or differences of ideology. What it does mean is we find ways to embrace every party of our party, be transparent as possible, and put aside our differences to win the general elections each year. I pledge to be part of that effort if you honor me with your vote for another term as Elections Commissioner.
Sincerely,
Dustin Czarny
Onondaga County Elections Commissioner (D)
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NewsChannel 9 spoke with Onondaga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny about how people can check if they are registered to vote before early voting begins in just 39 days.
“We’re used to having to think on our feet now in New York,” Dustin Czarny, a Democratic election commissioner in Syracuse-based Onondaga County, told Insider. “I have to be honest: This year is the worst.”
Dustin M. Czarny 