NEW YORK – It's time to clean up the way the state of New York awards contracts, according to leading watchdog groups that gathered in Albany on Wednesday.

State and federal prosecutors say bids for $800 million in state contracts were rigged in the largest scandal of its kind in New York history.

And according to Alex Camarda, a senior policy consultant for Reinvent Albany, a bill now being considered in the state Senate would empower the state comptroller to review and approve all state contracts of more than $250,000.

"The bill would also prohibit third-party entities from doing much of the procurement they're currently doing,” he explains. “So we think that would be impactful in terms of bringing integrity back to the contracting process."

The Senate Finance Committee has approved the Comptroller’s Clean Contracting Bill, and the Assembly is reviewing the measure.

The watchdog groups also are calling on the legislature to create what Camarda calls a "Database of Deals."

"It would indicate for each company that receives economic development benefits what they're receiving in terms of benefits, how much and from what government programs," he points out.

The Citizens Budget Commission reports that the state and localities in New York award contracts totaling about $8 billion a year.

Camarda notes that there are companies that want to do business with the state, but have been made cynical by corruption in the contracting process.

"That can have a chilling effect on companies coming forth and offering services to government at a low price, and government getting the best price for taxpayers,” he stresses.

The watchdog groups also want legislators to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest by exploring limits on campaign contributions from anyone seeking business with the state.




get more stories like this via email

Reports of intimidating text messages targeting Wisconsin college students and recent graduates are prompting more voting-rights outreach to young voters.

The anonymous text message warns recipients about voting in a state where they are not eligible, and says they could be fined or jailed for violating Wisconsin state law.

Recent graduate Molly Carmichael, communications manager with the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, said the first thing she noticed when she got the text was the harsh language.

"Right off the bat I was pretty upset, because I figured this was also going out to other people, maybe people who have never voted before and are excited to vote this November. And so, getting a text like that would certainly be really alarming," she explained.

The League of Women Voters, along with Free Speech for People, petitioned the Wisconsin and U.S. Departments of Justice to investigate the matter.

Carmichael said they've also started a digital campaign promoting the Election Protection Hotline, trying to counter the harmful text with positive and correct information and resources.

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, said interfering with the student vote is nothing new for Wisconsin, and is almost expected in the swing state.

"Students become a very convenient target for many of the people that are trying to undermine public confidence in voting in Wisconsin," he continued.

Heck said the state's strict photo ID law for voters may add confusion to the process for some college students whose school IDs may not be compliant with state law. Common Cause has a section on its website that outlines what college students need to vote in Wisconsin, including detailed examples of which IDs are permitted.

While continued outreach to college students is critical after this latest scheme, Heck hopes most students won't fall for it.

"The good thing about it is, I think younger people, by and large, are less susceptible to some of the stuff that they see and the texts that they get, because they're just more used to social media. And I think a lot of them are probably a little more savvy about whether it's true or not," Heck added.

Students who receive this type of text message or any other intimidating voting-related communications are encouraged to report it to the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.


get more stories like this via email

Arizona voters 50 and older are "extremely motivated" to vote in next month's election, now less than 20 days away. And while most have already made up their minds on who they're supporting, a new AARP Arizona poll shows 12% of voters 50 years and older are still undecided.

There are various highly contested races up and down the ballot. Dana Marie Kennedy, state director of AARP Arizona, says candidates should ensure they know what is driving older voters to the polls.

"They want to make sure that Social Security, as well as economic security, is addressed," Kennedy said. "We were also asking about family caregiving, and voters said that they would make up their mind based on if candidates talked about how they would support them to be able to continue to do what they want to do."

But the poll found that among older, ticket-splitting swing voters, Trump does hold a nine-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris. Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego holds a 30-point lead over GOP candidate Kari Lake. Kennedy says Arizona voters 50 and older are the largest voting bloc and could help tip the scale for any candidate this election.

Immigration and border security are considered the most important issues as Arizonans decide who to vote for. That issue is followed up by concerns surrounding the economy, jobs and inflation. Kennedy said their polling found one thing is certain: Older voters are enthusiastic to cast their ballots and make their voices heard.

"Ten out of 10 are excited to cast a ballot," she added. "I think is really significant number, and I think that the other thing is older women voters, they're far from a monolithic group."

The poll found Harris is up six points with women voters overall, but women over age 50 still favor Trump by three points. Kennedy said older women voters are worried about kitchen-table issues like housing and utility costs, and the cost of prescription drugs.

In the swing state of Ohio, voters will soon decide the fate of State Issue 1, a proposal to establish a 15-member citizens' redistricting commission to draw the state's political maps.

Backers of the measure said it is intended to reduce gerrymandering, or changing voting-district boundaries to favor one political party. But a key controversy surrounds the ballot language, which now includes the word "gerrymander." The change was permitted by Ohio's Supreme Court.

Annette Tucker Sutherland, chair of the Shaker Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters, which supports the measure, argued the wording misrepresents the proposal's true intent.

"I'm out here trying to urge everybody to ban gerrymandering in Ohio," Sutherland emphasized. "I never in my life thought I'd be telling people, 'Don't read carefully what's on the ballot and then vote.'"

Supporters like Sutherland want to change how the voting district maps are drawn. Under the current system, state lawmakers draw the lines, often favoring the party in power. Issue 1 would shift the responsibility to a 15-member citizens' commission, aiming to take politics out of the process, although some opponents question whether the new approach could truly eliminate political influence.

Gov. Mike DeWine, along with other critics of the measure, argued it could have the opposite effect. DeWine believes Issue 1 would introduce more politics into the redistricting process rather than remove them.

"State Issue 1 sounds great but it is the ultimate in gerrymandering," DeWine alleged. "I think people are sick of having politics as part of it. State Issue 1 demands that politics be included in this. It's not right."

At the heart of the debate is who gets to draw Ohio's legislative and congressional district maps. Issue 1 would place this power in the hands of a commission made up of Ohioans with no political ties.


get more stories like this via email