LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — A new Siena Poll is providing more insight into how New Yorkers feel on topics like housing migrants and moving local elections to even years.
The new poll shows that voters are against housing migrants in SUNY dorms by a 54-33% margin. By a narrower 46-40% margin, voters opposed relocating new migrants from New York City to other areas of the state and being paid for by the city.
“Voters oppose using SUNY dorms to temporarily house new migrants to New York by a 21-point margin. It’s opposed by more than three-quarters of Republicans and a majority of independents, while Democrats are evenly divided. Pluralities of young and Latino voters support using SUNY dorms to temporarily house migrants, but majorities of older, white and Black voters oppose it,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg in a released statement.
“By a narrower 46-40% margin, a plurality of voters opposes relocating migrants to counties outside New York City in housing paid for by the City,” Greenberg said. “A majority of Democrats and New York City voters support it, however, it’s opposed by Republicans, independents, downstate suburbanites and upstaters.”
Voters did approve other new proposals that have been passed including, schools closing for the Lunar New Year, moving local elections to even years, and extending liquor store hours on Sunday to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“Pluralities of Republicans and independents join a majority of Democrats as voters say better than two-to-one that moving most local elections from their current odd years to even years, same as Federal and state elections, will be good for New York,” Greenberg said.
“On the other side of the equation, a plurality of Democrats join majorities of Republicans and independents to say that limiting election lawsuits to only four counties in the state will be bad for New York.
“On one of the issues that got a lot of attention in the final days of session – ‘clean slate’ – New Yorkers are very mixed. Pluralities of Democrats, New York City and Black voters think sealing criminal records as proposed will be good for the state, while a majority of Republicans and pluralities of independents, downstate suburbanites, upstaters, white and Latino voters think ‘clean slate’ will be bad for New York. Similarly, a new ‘reparations commission’ will be good for the state, according to a majority of Democrats, New York City, Black and Latino voters. A majority of Republicans and pluralities of white and non-New York City voters disagrees.”
