On packed NYS ballots, local candidates struggle to win voters' attention

Jared Behr is running on the local issues — literally. 

Vying for an open seat on the Nassau County Legislature, Behr laces up a few mornings a week and pounds the pavement in a light jog around his Plainview neighborhood. As he runs, he holds out his cellphone to record himself talking about topics such as an audit of the county's assessment system or a detective shortage.

He does a quick edit, overlaying the videos with some local news clips or emojis and posts them on his Facebook and Instagram pages.   

"I want to get attention for some of these local issues," said Behr, 41, a Democrat facing Republican Olivia Pfeifer, 22, also of Plainview. "I want to get what my priorities are out there, introduce myself and also, frankly, just remind people that there are local elections, too, this year." 

The reels have gained viewership since he began posting in March and people in the community now call him "the running candidate."

He's not the only candidate toward the bottom of a longer ballot looking for creative ways to reach voters this year. In the first test of the state's new law this fall, some local candidates — many of whom ran in 2025 — say they have been drowned out, with local issues fading into the background. 

Airwaves are bombarded with television ads featuring dueling congressional and statewide candidates in a highly visible midterm election year muting the local conversations about drinking water, road repairs and park renovations. County and town candidates say they struggle to compete for fundraising dollars and air time with national committees and super PACs invested only in flipping seats in the U.S. House and capturing the governor's mansion. 

Even high-profile town races are being eclipsed.

"This time last year I was on television," said Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti, a Republican running against Democrat Joe Scianablo for the second consecutive year. "But it's just impossible this year for those of us who are sort of lower on the totem pole to buy any media time, and I'm raising significantly more money this year. These races are just not even being considered."

This year, Ferretti said he's "working harder" than last year to get his message out by attending more events, bringing out more supporters and talking directly to constituents. But, he admits, "you can't reach as many people without television." Scianablo on his social media has encouraged local participation in budget hearings, created his own evaluation of Ferretti's spending plan and held his own town hall meetings.

Ferretti, a former county legislator, said he hasn't gotten any requests from civic organizations to debate his opponent and many of the new organizations are focused on the statewide candidates. He and other Republicans have been opposed to moving local elections from odd to even years, an initiative designed to increase voter turnout and pushed by state Democrats with the backing of some good-government groups.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature in 2023 approved the measure to put most local races on the same cycle as the midterm and presidential elections, prompting a legal challenge by some Republican lawmakers, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is now running against Hochul. 

The case made its way through New York's highest court but earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review it on constitutional grounds. 

An analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice published in October 2025 contended the move allows "historically underrepresented New Yorkers a stronger voice in their government." But in November, as New York City voters turned out in record numbers to vote for mayor, they also wound up rejecting a ballot proposal to join the rest of the state's municipalities in adopting the even-years law, 53% to 47%. 

Michael Dawidziak, a political consultant based in Suffolk County, said he always knew the shift to even years would make it tough for local candidates to get their message across. 

"A presidential year is going to be even harder," Dawidziak said. "This year, the spending on some congressional races can reach $10 million. If you are running for town or county seat you're lucky to raise $200,000." 

Each state is empowered to run their elections their own way, Dawidziak said, with most sticking to local races in the odd years. He also warned about "ballot fatigue," a phenomenon in which voters do not completely fill out the ballot when faced with too many choices or a list of candidates that is too long. That could result in more likely outcomes in which local officeholders and national lawmakers are of the same political party.

"So the idea that you are going to increase the participation in local elections remains to be seen," he said. 

State and Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, who worked for more than a decade to move local elections from odd to even years, said the intention was always to increase voter turnout. Data showed midterms brought out 50% to 55% of voters versus 55% to 70% of voters in a presidential year, he said.

"Yes, of course, there are always going to be races that attract more attention than others. But there is no difficulty in sending out mail, putting up lawn signs or digital advertising," Jacobs said. "It's a bit disingenuous for the Republicans at this point to complain about being drowned out by the local issues when their strategy has always been to use the state and federal issues in their campaigns."

Jacobs pointed to Republicans in Nassau building campaign messages around state bail laws or crime in New York City as examples.

Some local candidates like Legis. Patrick Mullaney (R-Long Beach), who is facing challenger Michael J. Pentola, a Democrat also from Long Beach, says this year they have no choice but to lead with the national issues when on the campaign trail. He said he finds himself talking about topics like border security when he would rather discuss parks and roads when he's knocking on doors. 

He said people "get caught up in the higher-level political issues," which he has little control over.

Mullaney said: "You know, local politics isn't sexy, for lack of a better word."

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.