Under New York’s Even-Year Election Law (EYEL), many local elections will soon shift to even-numbered years, putting them on the same schedule as federal and state elections. The EYEL took effect in 2025 but has faced lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the law in state and federal courts. While the state’s highest court has upheld the law, one federal lawsuit is still pending.

The Government Law Center (GLC) at Albany Law School examines major provisions of the EYEL and constitutional challenges to the law in its latest explainer, “The Constitutionality of New York’s Even-Year Election Law.” 

“The EYEL was introduced with the intention that, by having local elections on the same schedule as state and federal elections, there would be greater voter participation in local elections,” write authors Bennett Liebman and Anna Meisenburg ’26. However, a complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York argues that the law could result in violations of the First Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Read the explainer here to learn more about the EYEL and the constitutional questions facing the courts.

The Government Law Center provides nonpartisan legal research and analysis on pressing issues facing state and local government and informs the public about major legal and policy issues facing policymakers and elected officials. The GLC’s role is to explain, not to advocate for a particular position or course of action. The GLC’s explainers concisely map out the law that applies to important questions of public policy. In addition, programs in the GLC’s Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series, held monthly from February through May, feature experts who discuss major issues pending before the New York State Legislature.