Category Archives: Interviews

While this convenience is a nice feature, Commissioner Czarny considers early voting an important safeguard against uncertainties and emergencies on Election Day. “We have a very busy society. People have more than one job, they have child care, they have elder care,” he explained. “We live in the age of COVID–even though the pandemic hasContinue reading “Early Voting is Underway in Onondaga County – NCC News”

“I’m just hopeful that we are going to see a higher than normal turnout on Tuesday; we are going to see just how many people decided to vote early and whether that affected that, and we will know that Tuesday night,” said Czarny. https://cnycentral.com/news/local/onondaga-county-board-of-elections-hopes-for-voter-turnout-as-more-people-are-voting-early#

“The ballots were already printed and the election was already programmed,” Czarny said. Should Aslam pull out a victory, the law is not clear on whether he could take office while living outside the district, Czarny said. Onondaga County’s charter specifies that a candidate must be a resident in a district when petitions are filed,Continue reading “Candidate on ballot for Onondaga County race no longer lives in legislature district – Syracuse.com”

“These local leaders actually have way more of an impact on your daily life than the national and federal races,” Czarny said. “Your local leaders are the ones who decide how much sales tax you’re going to pay. They pave the roads that you drive on everyday. They determine the funding for public transportation,” heContinue reading “Onondaga County Gears Up for 2023 Election – NCC News”

“Early voting grows over time and that’s what we saw in other states,” Czarny said. “When it when it first gets implemented, it starts out small, then people start to trust it. And now the campaigns are really trying to drive people for it, both sides now are trying to drive people towards it.” https://www.waer.org/news/2023-11-03/early-voting-turnout-strong-in-run-up-to-election-day

“Anytime you have more people using a tool than you had in the past, comparatively, that’s a good thing,” he said. Czarny added that, besides for Election Day polls, early voting is the most popular way to cast a ballot in Onondaga County. He said the additional days to vote helps provide flexibility. “Having earlyContinue reading “Early voting off to busier start in Onondaga County, elections commissioner says – Syracuse.com”

“So you can go to an early voting center, if you aren’t already registered and do an affidavit ballot, which will register you to vote and allow you to vote but only on Saturday, October 28th,” said Dustin Czarny, (D) Elections Commissioner for Onondaga County Board of Elections. https://www.localsyr.com/news/your-local-election-hq/election-day-2023-what-voters-need-to-know/

I gave a tour to Luke Radel of Citrus TV of our warehouse and facilities at the Onondaga County Board of Elections. Check it out.

“We’re still seeing the effect of over a dozen years of gerrymandering, where many people feel like they can’t win in districts that are historically Republican,” Czarny said. “And also they’ve packed several districts that are historically Democrat that the Republicans aren’t even competing in.” https://www.waer.org/news/2023-10-16/most-onondaga-county-voters-will-see-limited-competition-for-district-seats-on-the-ballot

Czarny says his department was never called in person to testify to the Republican-dominated legislature about its needs during the budget process. And while the department has been beefed up the last few years with some extra full-time workers, it’s not enough. “We are still the lowest staffed board of elections in the state andContinue reading “Despite funding boost from county lawmakers, Onondaga County elections officials it’s not enough – WRVO”