BACK IN JUNE, DEMOCRATS IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A BILL DESIGNED TO MOVE MANY MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, TRADITIONALLY HELD IN ODD YEARS, TO EVEN YEARS.

THE MEASURE'S DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS, AS WELL AS THE SO-CALLED GOVERNMENT GROUPS, HAVE ARGUED THE TRANSITION WILL BOOST VOTER TURNOUT IN ELECTIONS THAT TRADITIONALLY HAVE LOWER LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT.

IF SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR KATHIE HOCHUL, THE MEASURE WOULD NOT IMPACT ALL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, THOUGH.

INCLUDING RACES FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY AS WELLS AS POSITIONS IN NEW YORK CITY WHICH WOULD REQUIRE CHANGES TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION IN ORDER TO MOVE.

THE BIPARTISAN GROUP OF COUNTY LEADERS HAD PUSHED BACK AGAINST THE POTENTIAL CHANGES, ARGUING THEY'RE AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEADACHE, WON'T SAVE ANY MONEY, AND WILL RESULT IN DOWNBALLOT RACES GETTING OVERSHADOWED BY STATE AND NATIONAL ELECTIONS.

REPUBLICANS HAVE ALSO ACCUSED DEMOCRATS OF PUSHING THE ISSUE TO GAIN AN ELECTORAL EDGE AS DEMOCRATIC ELECTION TURNOUT IS HIGHER IN EVEN YEARS.

FOR MORE ON THE MEASURE, OUR SHANTEL DESTRA SPOKE WITH ASSEMBLY MEMBER MARY-BETH WALSH, A CAPITAL REGION REPUBLICAN WHO VOTED AGAINST THE BILL AT THE CAPITOL.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER WALSH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

I APPRECIATE IT.

OH, IT'S MY PLEASURE.

WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS BILL, I THINK THEY WERE FIRST CONSIDERING IT LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE.

I DON'T REMEMBER.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS ON IT WERE THAT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA FOR FINANCIAL REASONS.

I THOUGHT PUTTING ALL ELECTIONS ON EVEN YEARS WOULD, YOU KNOW, CONSOLIDATE THINGS AND COUNTIES WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY.

THEN I WAS READING THE BILL TODAY AND PREVIOUSLY, I FIND THAT WE'RE STILL HAVING ELECTIONS ON ODD YEARS.

THEY'RE JUST MOVING SOME OF THEM TO EVEN YEARS.

SO ALL OF THAT ASIDE, TELL ME YOUR POSITION ON THE BILL.

I KNOW YOU'RE AGAINST IT.

YEAH.

IT WAS INTERESTING THROUGH THE DEBATE-- WE DEBATED THIS BILL EXTENSIVELY AND THE SPONSOR KEPT ARGUING THAT IT WAS GOING TO SAVE MONEY AND WE KEPT SAYING, BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE ODD NUMBER OF YEAR ELECTIONS STILL BECAUSE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY CLERK, THE SHERIFF, FAMILY COURT JUDGES, SURROGATE COURT JUDGES, THEY'RE ALL STILL GOING TO BE ON ODD-NUMBERED YEARS ANYWAY AND THOSE ARGUMENTS YOU'RE GOING TO SEE, STAFFING.

YOU'RE STILL GOING TO NEED POLL WATCHERS AND YOU WILL NEED POLL WATCHERS FOR THE EARLY VOTING, THE EQUIPMENT, EVERYTHING.

RIGHT THAT WHOLE ARGUMENT REALLY FELL FLAT.

I'M KIND OF FROM THE SCHOOL IF IT'S NOT BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

I DIDN'T SEE ANY REASON FOR THIS BILL.

IT'S JUST ONE MORE BILL IN A SERIES OF BILLS AND LEGISLATION THAT WE'VE SEEN SINCE WE'VE GONE TO ONE-PARTY RULE IN ALBANY.

THE TENS HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS AN ADVANTAGE TO THEM OR THEY WOULDN'T DO IT.

YOU KNOW THEY CAN ARGUE ALL THEY WANT AND MESSAGE ALL THEY WANT THAT THIS IS ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND HEEDING THE WILL OF THE VOTER AND EVERYTHING, BUT YOU KNOW, I DISAGREE.

I DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS NECESSARY.

I THINK, IN FACT, IT'S REALLY AS SOMEBODY WHO CAME UP THROUGH THE HOCHUL GOVERNMENT, I THINK IT CAN BE A BAD THING.

I SHOULD MENTION THAT YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN.

THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE NECESSARILY.

THE NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES ALSO WANTS THE GOVERNOR TO VETO THIS BILL.

THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT LOCAL ISSUES.

YES.

GETTING SWEPT UNDER THE RUG DURING EVEN YEARS.

IF YOU MOVE THESE ELECTIONS TO WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS HAPPENING, THEN VOTERS MIGHT VOTE DOWN THE BALLOT.

IF THEY'RE VOTING FOR SOME CANDIDATE OF PRESIDENT OF ONE PARTY, THEY MIGHT JUST VOTE DOWN THE BALLOT WITHOUT CONSIDERING LOCAL ISSUES.

DO YOU ALSO SEE IT THAT WAY?

ABSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK THE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES AS YOU REPRESENT, SOME COUNTIES ARE ONE PARTY AND SOME ARE IN THE OTHER.

THEY'RE UNANIMOUSLY OPPOSED TO THIS LEGISLATION.

THAT DOES TELL YOU SOMETHING.

SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, THE TOWN RACES TEND TO BE AT THE VERY END OF THE BALLOT ANYWAY IN ANY YEAR, EVEN OR ODD.

YEAH.

I CAME UP THROUGH TOWN GOVERNMENT AND THEN HAD A POSITION AT THE COUNTY AND THEN RAN FOR THE STATE OFFICE THAT I HOLD NOW.

SO I'VE SEEN IT.

I'VE SEEN IT ALL AND I'VE BEEN AT THE MIDDLE OF THE BALLOT AND I'VE BEEN AT THE VERY END OF THE BALLOT.

THERE'S A REAL RISK FOR AN UNDERCOUNT.

EVEN FIRST YEAR THAT I RAN FOR THE STATE ASSEMBLY.

WHEN PEOPLE DON'T KNOW YOU OR THEY JUST-- THEY SKIP.

THEY DON'T NECESSARILY VOTE THE WHOLE LINE.

THEY MIGHT COME IN-- NOW IF THE GOVERNOR DOES SIGN THIS AND I HOPE SHE DOESN'T, BUT SAY IT'S AN EVEN YEAR ELECTION THAT'S A PRESIDENTIAL YEAR, LIKE NEXT YEAR.

YEAH.

YOU COULD HAVE SOMEBODY COME IN AND THEY DEFINITELY WANT TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT AND THEN REALLY, THEY MIGHT VOTE FOR THE NEXT CUPEL AND THEN THEY MIGHT JUST LEAVE.

I REMEMBER A COUPLE YEARS AGO, ONE OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS IN CENTRAL NEW YORK, THAT RACE WAS RAZOR THIN.

I THINK EITHER BY SINGLE DIGITS OR DOUBLE DIGITS, THAT RACE.

SO IT'S NOT UNCOMMON.

I KNOW THE SPONSORS OF THE BILL CLAIM THE PURPOSE OF IT IS TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT.

THEY WANT MORE PEOPLE TO COME OUT TO THE POLLS.

THE IDEA BEING IF MORE IS ON THE BALLOT THAT WILL DRIVE MORE PEOPLE OUT.

YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THAT, OBVIOUSLY.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WE CAN DO TO BOOST TURNOUT WITHOUT DOING THIS?

IF WE DON'T DO THIS BILL, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO THE POLLS?

I THINK WE ALREADY HAVE DONE SO MANY THINGS.

I DON'T THINK THAT'S AN ISSUE.

I MET WITH A GROUP OF CUB SCOUTS AND BOY SCOUTS YESTERDAY DOWN AT THE CAPITOL, AND WE MET ON THE BILLION DOLLAR STAIRCASE AND I GOT A CHANCE TO TALK WITH THEM, ALONG WITH SENATOR TEDISCO, AND HE QUIZZED THEM ABOUT THE STATE BIRD, WHAT'S THE STATE MUFFIN, WHAT'S THE STATE FLOWER AND THE KIDS WERE REALLY ENGAGED.

BUT WHAT I TALKED TO THEM ABOUT WAS BASIC CIVICS AND SAID, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW AS A BOY SCOUT OR A CUB SCOUT, YOU NEED TO DO YOUR DAILY GOOD TURN.

YOU NEED TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN.

AND I THINK THAT IDEA THAT ALLOWING STUDENTS TO PRE-REGISTER TO VOTE AT 16 IS VERY INTERESTING AND I THINK PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT CLASSES, MAKING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, REALLY, THAT THESE RACES ARE CLOSE AND THAT THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND THE WAY THAT THEIR COMMUNITY'S RUN AND HOW HIGH THEIR TAXES ARE GOING TO BE ONCE THEY GET OLD ENOUGH TO REALLY BE PAYING THEM AND JUST TO DEVELOP THAT HABIT AMONG THE YOUTH TO ALWAYS GO, TO ALWAYS GO AND VOTE AND HOPEFULLY TO CAST A VERY EDUCATED VOTE, BUT TO ALWAYS GO AND VOTE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW, IS SO IMPORTANT.

I THINK ADULTS BRINGING THEIR KIDS TO THE POLLING PLACE IS SOMETHING THAT I REALLY ENCOURAGE.

I LOVE THAT.

I DO, TOO.

I DO, TOO.

I LOVE SEEING KIDS THERE.

BECAUSE IT REALLY SHOWS THEM, LIKE THE FRONT WINDOW OF DEMOCRACY.

YOU KNOW, THEY WILL-- I'M ASSUMING THESE CHILDREN WILL WATCH TELEVISION, SEE SOME POLITICIANS, BUT THEY DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS.

SO WHEN THAT PARENT GETS THEM IN THAT VOTING BOOTH AND CAN SEE THAT MOMENT OF THEM TAKING THAT VOTE, WHICH CAN BE SO IMPACTFUL AND SO SPECIAL.

IT'S JUST SO-- IT IS INSPIRING I REMEMBER IN TROY.

YEAH, I REMEMBER GOING WITH MY GRANDMOTHER AND BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN THEY HAD THE CURTAIN, YOU KNOW, THE CURTAIN THAT CLOSED AND THE LEVERED MACHINES AND EVERYTHING.

I REMEMBER GOING WITH HER WHEN I WAS A REALLY LITTLE KID.

I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY THAT VOTER ENROLLMENT IS NOW IN THE STATE, WE KNOW THAT DEMOCRATS OUTNUMBER REPUBLICANS BY A LOT, BUT THIS LAST TIME, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT UNAFFILIATED VOTERS, NO OFFICIAL PARTY VOTERS OUTNUMBERED REPUBLICANS.

EVEN WHEN THE KIDS DO PRE-REGISTER TO VOTE AT 16, MANY ARE OPTING TO REGISTER WITH NO PARTICULAR PARTY, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE CHANGES IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS MAKING IT HARDER FOR THIRD PARTIES TO EVEN EXIST BECAUSE THEY RAISED THE NUMBER, THE THRESHOLD FROM LIKE 50,000 TO IT WAS LIKE 120 OR 130,000.

I DON'T KNOW THE MATH.

YEAH.

SO IT'S GETTING MORE AND MORE POLARIZED AND SO I THINK THAT CAN TURN A LOT OF PEOPLE OFF, BUT I THINK THAT GETTING TO YOUNG PEOPLE REALLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE AND CREATING, YOU KNOW, EASIER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE, LIKE THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT THE EARLY VOTING-- I DON'T PARTICULARLY DO IT, BUT IT DOES, YOU KNOW, BECOME SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WILL AVAIL THEMSELVES OF, I THINK THAT'S GOOD.

YEAH.

YEAH.

I'VE EARLY VOTED BEFORE.

THERE'S MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO VOTE NOW.

THIS BILL, IN PARTICULAR, IF THE GOVERNOR SIGNS IT, I DON'T WANT YOU TO LOOK INTO A CRYSTAL BALL NECESSARILY, WHAT DO YOU THINK COMES AFTER THAT?

DO YOU THINK THAT SOMEBODY SHOULD SUE OVER THIS TO HAVE IT OVERTURNED?

YOU'RE AN ATTORNEY.

I'M NOT.

I DON'T KNOW THE SECTION OF LAW THAT THEY COULD SUE OVER.

DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE THE BEST CASE FORWARD IF SHE SIGNS IT?

YEAH.

I THINK SO.

I THINK WE SEE THE OTHER LEGISLATION THAT WAS JUST SIGNED LAST WEEK THAT THE GOVERNOR SIGNED ON THE BASICALLY NO EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING BY ANOTHER NAME, THERE'S A LAWSUIT NOW THAT CONGRESSWOMAN STEFANIK IS THE LEAD PLAINTIFF ON SO THAT'S GOING ALONG.

THE GOVERNOR SIGNED ANOTHER PIECE OF LEGISLATION TO LIMIT THE FORUM WHERE YOU COULD BRING AN ELECTION CHALLENGE TO FOUR DIFFERENT COUNTIES IN THE STATE INSTEAD OF ALLOWING IT TO BE BROUGHT IN ANY COUNTY IN THE STATE, AND THAT HAS NOT BEEN CHALLENGED YET LEGALLY AND I HOPE IT IS.

I THINK THAT IS ABSOLUTELY-- THAT IS JUST AWFUL.

I THINK THAT KIND OF-- AND IT WAS ACTUALLY SOLD AND DEBATED AS A WAY TO ELIMINATE FORUM SHOPPING BY LIMITING THE FORUM TO FOUR PLACES THAT YOU COULD GO AND BRING THESE CHALLENGES.

SO ANYBODY WHO DOES APPELLATE WORK AND DOES THIS KIND OF LEGAL CHALLENGE IS GOING TO BE VERY BUSY BECAUSE IT'S LIKE ONE-- IN MY VIEW, ONE BAD IDEA AFTER THE OTHER IS JUST COMING DOWN THE PIKE AND WE HAVE TO PICK OUR BATTLES TO SOME EXTENT, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF BATTLES HERE THAT REALLY NEED TO GET FOUGHT.

I MEAN, SOMETHING THAT'S JUST-- IT'S JUST UNCONSTITUTIONAL, I BELIEVE, TO STEFANIK LAWSUIT THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, THE VOTERS IN 2021 REJECTED A PROPOSITION TO DO NO EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING.

55% OF THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED NO AND THEY STILL CAME OUT WITH A BILL TO DO IT ANYWAY, YOU KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS JUST SO CLEARLY VOL VIOLATIVE OF THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION THAT I BELIEVE THAT WILL GET OVERTURNED.

IT GETS EXHAUSTED AFTER A WHILE AND YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE ALL THESE PRIVATE LAWSUITS GOING BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.

I KNOW THAT MY ASSEMBLY LEADER WILL BARCLAY IS VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF CALLING IT WRONG WHEN IT'S WRONG AND OPPOSING IT.

YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

IT'S A LOT TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW.

SO WE'LL BE WATCHING THE STEFANIK LAWSUIT AND ANY OTHER LAWSUITS THAT COME OUT OF IT.

IT'S INTERESTING LITIGATION.

YOU KNOW, IT DOES NOT TAKE A SHORT TIME.

I'LL BE WATCHING IT OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME TO SEE HOW IT WORKS OUT.

THERE'S A LOT TO LOOK AT HERE.

WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE YOU BACK AT SOME POINT I'LL BRING MY CRYSTAL BALL THEN.

PLEASE DO.

[LAUGHTER] ASSEMBLY MEMBER MARY BETH WALSH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[ THEME MUSIC ] WHILE GOVERNOR KATHIE HOCHUL HAS YET TO SIGN THE ELECTION YEAR LEGISLATION, THE SMART MONEY AT THE CAPITOL IS THAT SHE WILL APPROVE THE BILL.