ALBANY — New York’s top court will expedite a hearing about the state’s new law to move local elections to even-numbered years, scheduling arguments for September, the court confirmed Tuesday.

The Court of Appeals slated the case for the week of Sept. 8, acting on a request from Republicans who want a decision long before the 2026 elections get underway.

At issue is a law signed in 2023 by Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and backed by the Democratic-dominated State Legislature that would move town and county elections away from odd years, as they have been historically held, to even-numbered years to align with gubernatorial and presidential contests. The switch would be phased in over a few years.

Republicans, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, filed a lawsuit to overturn the law. They claimed it unconstitutionally took away local control of elections. But last week a branch of the Appellate Division, the midlevel court of New York’s judicial system, found the law constitutional and rejected the GOP complaint.

Republicans then asked the Court of Appeals to hear the case and expedite the hearing schedule.

The court agreed — if it hadn’t granted the speedup request, the case could have lingered to the end of the calendar year or later.

Democrats and voting advocates have argued the switch to even-numbered years would improve voter turnout, reduce trips to the polls for voters and reduce costs to counties who otherwise must hold elections every year.

“A lot of people just don’t show up” in odd-year elections, Hochul said Tuesday. “I think this is about democracy. More people tend to vote in those two election years [gubernatorial and presidential] and why are we afraid to allow the voters to show up and elect who they want? Why not make it easier for them?”

Republicans, who historically fare better in odd-numbered years in New York, say the switch is all about Democrats trying gain electoral advantage. They also argued important local contests would be ignored by the public if staged while gubernatorial and presidential elections are occurring.

“There are issues that are important to the towns, cities, and counties that are separate and apart from federal and state issues. And now, our state officials are trying to drown us out," Blakeman said Tuesday at a news conference in Farmingdale with Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine and numerous other Republican elected officials.

They said local contests would be farther down the ballot on the even years, swept up in the national and state initiatives — resulting in many voters not bothering to read all the way down to local elections.

“We’ll have ballot drop-off,” Blakeman said.

"Imagine going in and having to see 50 names or more on a ballot?" Romaine added.

The new law largely applies to towns and most county offices. But it won't apply to a variety of offices and locations, including New York City, any incorporated city or village, district attorneys, school boards, sheriff, county clerk, town justices, and family court and county court judges, according to the state Board of Elections.

If upheld, the law would phase in the transition over the next few years. For example, the winner of this year's election for Nassau County executive would serve a three-year term, instead of four, then be up for reelection in 2028. The winner of the 2027 Suffolk County executive election would have to run again in 2030. 

Winners of a county legislative term in 2025 — usually good for two years — would have to run again in 2026.

With Candice Ferrette