This past week, numerous bills designed to simplify the voting process were signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. According to Spectrum News NY, some of these bills will start taking effect just in time for the fall election.
With one of these new measures, pre-registered voters, those under 18 who will be old enough to vote by the time the election rolls around, can now “apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot”.
Spectrum News mentions another bill that will help New Yorkers fix any mistakes they may have made when voting by mail. Additionally, after New Year’s Day, the candidates’ order on the ballot will change. Susan Lerner, director of Common Cause New York, explained the new format in the following statement:
“Civic classes…start at the federal level, work down to the state…to the local level…having the offices in that order makes more sense to the voters”.
The governor’s work isn’t over though, on her desk remain 580 bills that require examination. These bills include decisions surrounding possible tax levies on oil companies and the future of congestion pricing.
When it comes to the bill focusing on the oil companies, Democratic Bronx State Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz said “It assesses the oil companies that have caused the most damage… how much pollution they’ve caused between 2000 and 2018. And then proportionally charge them”.
Regarding congestion pricing, Spectrum News quotes Hochul as saying “We know that this is a temporary pause…we have a timeline to really focus on this, have our plan in place, we can present it to the legislature”.
State residents, however, aren’t too keen on congestion pricing hanging around. A poll run by Siena College found that almost 60% of voters believe congestion pricing should be done away with. 62% of city residents and 68% of suburban residents agree with this statement.
Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, disagrees, explaining why congestion pricing should stick around. Explaining the domino effect he believes could happen if it isn’t, he says delays can result in deterioration, leading to increased costs and, eventually, higher inflation. He highlights that this risks quality service, something New York doesn’t want to see.
Governor Hochul plans on making her final decision on congestion pricing by January 2025.
