Sleepy Hollow voters have a rare opportunity to make voting in the village more democratic. A referendum on the coming March 19th ballot asks whether village elections should move to November with other elections. Doing this would mean more people voting and consequently, more representativegovernment. There were 1,293 Sleepy Hollow voters in November of 2022, but in March there were only 372. In the last Presidential year, 2020, more than 10 times as many people voted in November as March. 10 Times! It’s clear that village leaders are being chosen by a relatively small group of voters. Approval of the referendum will ensure our leaders are selected by a representative number of people.
There are other advantages of moving village elections to the fall. Village budgets must legally be finalized each year by the end of April. Voting in mid-March leaves little time for effective budgeting. Eliminating a March election will also save money and will help end voter fatigue from election after election.
Only a few villages in Westchester County still hold elections in March. Tarrytown moved its election a few years ago. In 2022 voters in Hastings approved the move to November with 88% of the vote. Let’s join our neighbors. Vote YES on the election day referendum when you vote March 19th.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Campbell
Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591
