Board of Elections officials told the Tompkins County Government Operations Committee Sept. 4 that leftover federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds and remaining 2024 grant money will be used to support local election operations, including new poll pads and ballot-by-mail processing. "They found us another $396," Alana Congan said of the small HAVA carryover funds commonly called a "shoebox."

The committee approved an extension of the HAVA funds and a reallocation of 2024 grant balances to 2025. BOE staff said they have just under $5,000 remaining from a ballot-by-mail grant and had reserved most of a general election grant to buy poll pads for this year. Both measures were put to committee votes and recorded as unanimous. "We'll probably use it this year," Congan said of the $396 shoebox funds.

Committee members asked whether national debates over mail-in balloting might affect local options. "These laws that enable voting by mail in New York state passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor," Congan said, adding that historically "elections have been run on a state-by-state level." She said future federal action could change practice but that current New York law governs local procedures.

Committee members also asked the BOE about an unrelated litigation in Onondaga County concerning legislative term length. Steve DeWitt said the State Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear argument the following Monday and that Tompkins County's BOE is treating the term as three years unless the appeals court overturns that interpretation. "I believe... it's a 3 year term unless overruled," DeWitt said. He noted a disagreement within the State Board of Elections contributed to the uncertainty.

The committee asked BOE staff to report back on the appeals outcome at their next meeting.