To the Editor:

Election season will be starting soon. Why is this coming up now in February you ask? Let me explain.

This is an off election year meaning that there will be a lot of local elections rather than one where we elect federal representatives. What elections will there be? Many towns will be having elections for their town boards, the office of supervisor, town clerk, judge, highway superintendent, etc.

What usually happens is that a party (usually Democratic, Republican, Conservative, Working Families) will endorse a candidate and pledge support in several ways. The first step is to get the candidate on the ballot, meaning that petitions need to be signed by registered voters in a specified party.

What typically happens in Guilderland (other towns do this as well) is that there is a slate of candidates on one petition for a variety of positions.

I see a problem with this tactic. First, if you sign the petition, you are signing for the entire slate. What if you are willing to sign for one or two of the candidates, but do not want to sign for all of them?

What you will be told is that it isn’t a big deal; these petitions are just to get the candidates on the ballot, that you don’t have to vote for them in the primary or election. For the most part, people will agree and sign the petition. So, what is the problem you ask?

Voting is a right and a civic duty that we have as citizens. With that right comes choice, and we have a choice to elect who we as citizens feel will best represent what we want to see in our governments.

Since we have those choices, why are we being “forced” to sign petitions for a slate of candidates rather than just the ones we want to see on the ballot? How difficult is it to sign one or two petitions or even three petitions rather than just one? This is just one way our choices for public office are diminished.

Although this is legal under Election Law, it still diminishes our choices for who we want to run for office. I urge all local party leaders to give our residents a choice — let us choose who will be on the ballot rather than giving us no choice. Please present separate petitions to your voters for signatures rather than just one.

My suggestion to residents is not to sign a petition unless you want all the candidates on the ballot. Petitioners can carry single and slate petitions. If you can’t manage that and say it is too much to carry and juggle, then perhaps you should not be petitioning.

Since voting is about choice, let’s give our residents the choices they deserve. Let the voters speak and make the choices they are entitled to make.

Robyn Gray

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Robyn Gray chairs the Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth.