Republican View: Elections in the new year

We are closing out the year, and with just one election for Congress undecided, our nearby Congressional District 22, we’re now looking at the political calendar for 2021. The problem is the state has not put out that calendar yet.

It makes it a little hard for candidates to decide whether to run or not, but decide they must. And if you’re interested in serving on a village or town board, the Ithaca City Council or on the Tompkins County Legislature, please reach out.

To get on the ballot, candidates have to create a petition. If you’re a Republican seeking the Republican line on the ballot, you collect signatures from registered Republicans in the district you are hoping to represent. Democrats do the same.

You were able to do that for other parties, but the governor last year reduced that to just the Conservative and Working Families parties. That’s being challenged in court.

If you want to be on the Ithaca City Council, for example, you determine what district you’re in and ask the board of elections for a list of everyone registered in your party in that district. You then go door to door asking voters to support you being on the ballot.

This is not a vote for you; it’s to get your name on the ballot, which I hope most people would support. It’s hard putting yourself out there, and ballot access gives voters a choice on election day. This signature collection is just two months away, likely starting at the end of February, but it may move to March because of the virus.

OK, you’ve got your petition, and you’ve collected your signatures. Now, you file them with the board of elections. Voters can then challenge those signatures, and if enough are challenged and deemed invalid, you can be denied ballot access. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

I know that all may sound like a lot of work. It is, but it gets easier after the first 10 signatures, and you get to meet a lot of people from your town, get to hear their problems and see if what you’re concerned about matches what they’re concerned about.

You’ll also have people from your party committees helping you collect signatures or friends and family if they’re registered in the same party or are a notary.

Now that you’re on the ballot, you should have a committee set up or set one up. This is so you can raise and spend money. These are local races so the expense isn’t the magnitude of Congress, but it does cost something.

You might be surprised how many people want to help you. From there, it’s all a matter of campaigning and what you want that campaign to look like. That will fill another column and then some, but ballot access is second only behind deciding to run!

In 2021, the first seats that come open are the village seats. Some of these don’t align with political parties like Cayuga Heights and Lansing, but some do like Trumansburg and Groton. There are village seats open in every village except Trumansburg, and there’s an election for mayor for the villages of Dryden, Groton and Lansing. Freeville asks you to call the village hall for its information.

Also, your school board will likely have seats open, and the school budget vote will be in the spring. It’s your biggest tax bill, so please vote.
All 14 County Legislature seats are up for election in November. Listing the open seats going by town: Caroline, the supervisor, justice, two board seats; Danby, supervisor, clerk, highway supervisor, two town board seats; Dryden, supervisor, highway supervisor, two town board seats; Enfield, supervisor, clerk, justice, highway supervisor, three town board seats, but don’t quote me on Enfield. There’s a lot going on there.

In Groton, supervisor, clerk, highway supervisor, and two town board seats; city of Ithaca, each of the five wards has a seat open; town of Ithaca, justice and three town board seats; Lansing, two board seats; Newfield, supervisor, clerk, highway supervisor, two town board seats; and Ulysses, supervisor, clerk, highway supervisor and two town board seats.

I know that’s a lot of information, but please look for your town, village or the city of Ithaca and consider running. Folks often say they’re not being heard or that they want a seat at the table. This is that seat.

If you don’t want to run, maybe you know someone who might. Encourage them. Some will say, “but I don’t have any experience.” These are local seats. The experience you need is knowing your neighbors and a willingness to serve them to the best of your ability.

If you’re interested, please call the Board of Elections at 274-5522 or email me at mike.sigler@yahoo.com or text me at 339-7978.