New York on Offense: The Path Forward to Strengthen Our Elections
New York’s elections follow a rigorous system of checks and balances that ensures every election is free, fair, and secure. In recent years, however, we’ve seen bad actors exploit weaknesses in state law — fueling misinformation, legal battles, and spurious attempts to overturn the will of the voters.
This fact sheet outlines two commonsense policy solutions that New York lawmakers and election administrators can consider to close those gaps — before and after Election Day.* For a deeper dive into the national context and proven solutions, see our full report, “States on Offense: The Path Forward to Strengthen Our Elections.” For more information, please contact us here.
Two Fixes for Stronger New York Elections
- Protect eligible voters from harassment or wrongful disenfranchisement by strengthening safeguards for voter challenges.
- Limit frivolous post-election challenges by clarifying standards and deadlines for raising and responding to voter challenges.
| New York Elections By the Numbers |
|---|
| Registered Voters: 13,153,553 Voter Turnout (Registered Voters %): 2022 [49%] 2024 [68%] |
| Voting Methods (Election Day/Early In-Person/Mail %): 2022: 72%/20%/7%; 2024: 51%;36%;10% |
| Recent Attempts to Exploit Election Vulnerabilities: Rockland County Lawsuit Seeks Hand Recount, New Election following 2024 Hudson Valley Town Challenges State Voting Rights Act |
Fix #1: Strengthen Safeguards for Voter Challenges
Lawmakers can raise the evidentiary threshold needed to initiate and sustain a challenge. They can also ensure all challenged voters can contest the claim and verify their eligibility. New York law broadly empowers voters, poll watchers, and election inspectors to challenge the eligibility of any voter if they have a “reason to suspect” that the voter may not be eligible. These challenges can occur near or even on Election Day, often leaving eligible voters with little recourse to verify their eligibility to ensure their ballots are counted. For early and absentee voters, the law offers no opportunity for voters to contest a challenge.
Fix #2: Clarify Standards and Deadlines for Post-Election Challenges
Lawmakers can address these vulnerabilities by setting clear, limited grounds for post-election challenges, requiring reliable evidence before votes can be rejected, and establishing clear deadlines for courts to resolve disputes. Current law permits post-election litigation for a wide range of reasons, with few limits on the grounds or evidence required to initiate it. Deadlines for resolving these cases are unclear, allowing disputes to drag on for months after Election Day and eroding public confidence in the process.
*This resource is strictly nonpartisan and for educational use only. It is 501(c)(3) compliant and not intended for any partisan, political, or electioneering activities.