BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN).......When it comes to 11 proposed city charter revision ballot questions, the issue is as much about the recommendations as its is where they are located on the Election Day ballot.
Because there are 11 questions, voters can find the first questions on the front side of the Election Day ballot but then have to flip over to the backside.
The reason?
The sheer number and wording of the questions forced the issue, said Ralph Mohr, an Erie County Board of Elections commissioner.
"We had no choice," Mohr said.
But, how will impact voter response to the questions?
Local political analyst Carl Calabrese said he thinks the positioning may impact how many people actually vote for the proposed revisions.
"Charter revision questions, by themselves are confusing by nature," Calabrese said. "And, with the positioning you will likely see some level of voter tail off."
The headline, and top positioning, goes to the gubernatorial race between Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and her Republican challenger Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
There are other races for Erie County Legislature seats along with State Assembly and State Senate races.
Early balloting turnout has been strong.
Buffalo's charter revision issues, crafted by an independent commission covers a wide range of proposed changes including covering the process to appoint an interim Mayor or Common Council member should a mid-term vacancy arise to when and to whom the Mayor must submit the city's annual budget and whether the charter should be revisied once a decade.
The issues, Calabrese said, are procedural and not sexy headline-grabbing.
That, by itself, may impact voting numbers - at least on the ballot issues.
"By their nature, ballot issues are often times geared towards special interests and that may impact voting numbers," Calabres said. "It's kind of like a bit of political insider baseball."
