This is a Civics 101 story from CNY Decides, a collaborative podcast between the award winning newsrooms of WAER and Central Current.
New York State's even-year election law is shifting all local and state races onto the same timeline as national elections, and 2026 marks the first year federal, state and local races appear on a single ballot.
The consolidation requires voters to research a longer list of candidates. Political Science professor Grant Reeher with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs says that demand is not new, but the stakes are higher.
"They're going to have to be way more proactive about seeking out information,” Reeher explained that it is because, “there has been a very long trend toward less and less local news about politics and less and less outlets that are really doing a deep dive on local issues.”
Voters will select a governor this year before moving to local town and county races. The law will not complete its transition until 2030, when Onondaga County executive and comptroller races come up for reelection.
The consolidated ballots are expected to increase voter turnout.
"Government works better when all of the citizens make choices," said Onondaga County Board of Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny. "With this ballot drop-off, you're still going to have 50%, 60% more voters voting in these elections than ever before."
Critics have argued that consolidation will suppress turnout among voters indifferent to national races. Czarny counters that voters overwhelmingly supported the change, which reduces the number of trips to the polls.
Both Reeher and Czarny acknowledge that local races will fall lower on the ballot but stress they are no less consequential.
State primaries remain unchanged and take place next month. The deadline to register with a party for first-time voters, and for all residents to request a mail-in ballot, falls in mid-June. Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026.
