When Long Islanders head to the polls this year, they will find many more races on the ballot than they typically see in an even-year election.

Even-year elections are usually dominated by national politics, and the 2026 congressional midterms are expected to be the focus across the country.

“That's going to be the big story on election night. “Did the Democrats take the House? Do they take the Senate?” said political consultant Michael Dawidziak.

Beyond congressional races, voters will also decide contests for governor, other statewide offices, and seats in the New York State Assembly and Senate.

All of that is nothing new.

But this year’s ballot is more crowded than usual because of a change in state law that moved most local elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.

In 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation shifting those local elections. The change takes effect this year, meaning voters will see many more local races on the ballot.

Supporters of the change argue it will increase voter participation by holding more elections when turnout is traditionally higher.

New York State and Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs said the effort has been years in the making.

“I've been working on this for about 12 years,” Jacobs said. “I would have to tell you that the idea was that overall, we will increase voter interest and then ultimately voter turnout because of the fact that it's just not an every year routine kind of an activity.”

Republicans, however, contend the change benefits Democrats and could reduce attention on local races.

Cairo argued that down-ballot contests, including races for Town Supervisor and County Legislator, could be overshadowed by the high-profile races at the top of the ticket and by the large amounts of money spent on statewide and national campaigns.

The legal fight over the election changes has largely been settled at the state level. The New York State Court of Appeals rejected a Republican effort to overturn the changes. A federal case remains pending, but it is not expected to affect this year's ballot.

“This is a play by Albany Democrats to give them an advantage to change the rules because they haven't been winning [local elections],” Cairo said.

Despite concerns about the challenges posed by the new election calendar, Cairo said Republicans are prepared for the fight ahead.

“It’s going to be challenging this year. But we're going to meet the challenge. We're going to win,” he said.

Jacobs acknowledged that higher turnout could benefit Democrats.

“You're going to see a greater turnout. And right away I think that's an advantage for Democrats because there are more Democrats,” he said.