Letters to the Editor: The Integrity of Democracy

On March 20, the Village of Trumansburg will hold an election for our mayor and two trustee seats. While local elections historically see a low voter turnout, this year should be an exception. Hotly debated issues surrounding development should create a boost in ballots cast. There’s another aspect of this election that makes it a unique local election: it’s contested. However, that almost wasn’t the case.

 

The past year has seen new organizations and marketing designed to encourage citizens to run for local office. For those with a major party endorsement, the road to ballot access is smoother as you are supported by seasoned volunteers and professionals. For unknown newcomers and those running independent, the road is far more slippery. Just gaining ballot access via petitioning brings potential pitfalls that risk disqualification. Last month, Trumansburg held a Republican Caucus which nominated two candidates, one for mayor and one for trustee, for the upcoming Village election. Days later, the County Board of Elections ruled the caucus invalid because the Board of Elections did not receive the required notice necessary before holding a caucus.

Following the caucus, two independent candidates, Richard Garner and Edward Errigo, circulated petitions for Village Trustee. The Democratic candidates, Ben Carver and Ben Darfler, were presented with the option of objecting to these petitions based on potentially invalid signatures (note: nothing is official unless reviewed by the Board of Elections, which can only be triggered by a formal objection). I was happy to learn that Carver and Darfler chose not to object, realizing that Village voters deserve a contested election with a range of viewpoints, considering the contentious issues of the day.

The integrity of elections is important, and perhaps I’m wrong for celebrating candidates who are willing to place the outcome of an election in the hands of voters, instead of a review process by election officials. However, if we’re serious about upholding the integrity of democracy, we should encourage more party-neutral resources for new candidates so we don’t lose or discourage, quality representatives over procedural technicalities resulting from inexperience.

 

Keith Hannon, Village of Trumansburg