It would cost Chemung County taxpayers $125,000.00 if a law was passed in the State of New York requiring counties to enact early voting for primaries and general elections.
That was one of the reasons the Chemung County Legislature voted unanimously on June 10th in oppossion to a bill in the NYS Assembly sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The bill would require that early voting be permitted beginning on the 3rd Thursday before any General Election and the 2nd Thursday before any Primary Election. Early voting would conclude on the Thursday before each election.Voting would occur between the hours of 8am and 8pm on weekdays and 9am and 5pm on weekends at five polling places designated within each county and would be geographically placed.
The Speaker has stated that any new expenses associated with early voting would be the responsibility of the local board of elections.
The enactment of this legislation would truly be a new and very costly unfunded mandate upon the local taxpayers of Chemung County.
“Not only do I oppose this legislation because of the cost to local taxpayers, I believe election day is a day that the voting public is well aware of and is the one day a year that americans can and will exercise their right to vote if they so choose,” Legislator Rodney J. Strange said.