Voting guide 2020: Offices up for election

When I first read Barack Obama’s charge in light of the recent BLM movement and protesting in the wake of police brutality in the US, I was struck by his reminder that “the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.” I knew that. I know that. And yet what I didn’t know was which local offices in Syracuse, Onondaga County, or New York state were up for election this year, and what to look for in a good candidate for each of those offices. In future posts, I’ll take those offices one at a time and examine the role that each can play in dismantling problematic and racist systems at play here in my city. But in today’s post, we’ll preview November’s election for Syracuse residents, looking at which offices are up for vote this cycle.

According to the Onondaga County Board of Elections web site, the following offices are up for election this year on the November 3, many of which will also be represented on the June 23 primary ballot. Note: the links below are intended to provide some background on the purpose/position of the lesser-known positions being elected in this year’s primary and general election. For a more comprehensive overview, I found this guide to NY state government surprisingly readable and helpful.

In my next post I’ll zoom in on one of these roles: city court judge. We’ll look closely at what role city court has in the lives of Syracuse Citizens, who the current sitting judges are, and what issues are worth considering when selecting among the candidates up for primary and general election this year.