Voters in Suffolk County used their preferred method for the November general elections: early in-person voting over 9 days prior to Election Day, in-person voting on Election Day, applying for, receiving and mailing a completed absentee ballot, applying for, receiving and mailing a completed early mail ballot, and in some cases, asking for and receiving an affidavit ballot in person under special circumstances (these are forwarded to and handled separately at the Suffolk County Board of Elections (SCBOE)  since they require more research/substantiation).

There are 1070 election districts (EDs) in Suffolk County, and results by ED can be found on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website (suffolkvotes.com) and much detail can also be found in newspapers in the days following the election, with articles and opinions such as “How Long Island voted in 2025.” Using the color red for Republican votes, and blue for Democratic votes, clearly Long Island is a patchwork, and the results, particularly for the 18 Suffolk County Legislature districts, indicate that (11 red, 7 blue for 2026-28). 

Roughly 225,000 voters cast ballots (out of a total of 1,093,535 active voters in the county); results by races are on the SC BOE website (remember not every voter chooses to vote in each contest on their ballot). They are still considered “unofficial” as of this column’s publishing date.

In 2025 Suffolk voters cast ballots for county-wide offices (District Attorney and Sheriff), all 18 county Legislators, and numerous town offices including supervisors and town council members. Each town has its own structure for town council.

As the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County (and comprised of four local Leagues — Huntington, Smithtown, Brookhaven and the League of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and the North Fork) we encourage voters to now take on their new/post-election day responsibility — to educate themselves on the roles and responsibilities and responsiveness of their elected officials. 

The presence of hyper-local trusted media varies throughout Suffolk. Weekly papers (such as the one you are reading) can do a terrific job in covering local government, and educating people on issues that affect them. Many have robust websites that residents turn to as well. Unfortunately growing numbers of people have become detached from “civics”, but the League is dedicated to restoring and reinvigorating citizen education. The result is that small numbers of people can have a disproportionate voice in their local governments (town and county). All voices should be heard, but all voices should also listen, ponder, research, and discuss based on evidence, facts, history, and experience. 

Your local League may help you, but we need to know what you are interested in, want to learn about, or what passion, expertise or experience you can bring to an understanding of issues. 

We suggest you start with your Town and Suffolk County officials and representatives, (and then perhaps your NYS Senator and Assemblymember). To find out who now represents you,  visit the NYS Board of Elections website at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/. Enter your county, last name, first name, date of birth and zip code. It will give you your Election District, County Legislative District, State Senate District State Assembly District and Congressional District. It gives you your Town, but not your town officials or council district (if applicable). 

Once you have your district information, you can refer to the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County’s annual Directory of Public Officials (available online at https://my.lwv.org. You can download and print the relevant pages for contact information for all levels of government from president to village mayors.

Communicate with these officials — expect government to be open to citizen input and provide you with resources, materials, and listen to your concerns. But with that opportunity comes responsibility. Understand what each level of local and county government can control and is responsible for; do your homework, look at their websites, and initiate dialogue. For example, taxes are a significant issue for all of us, but understand where the money comes from, and where it goes. And all levels of government business should be conducted openly (unless of a truly confidential/personnel nature). 

The League would like to hear from you as well. We’ve created a link on our website so that you can communicate your areas of concern or issues on these local levels. We’d love to hear from the many voices “out there,” so we can address issues in these columns or perhaps develop informational programs or resources to give you tools to broaden your understanding of issues. The link to communicate with the League is https://my.lwv.org/new-york/suffolk-county/feedback.

Lisa Scott is president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County.

For many years, and in many other states, citizens have asked for legislation to allow terminally ill persons to request medical assistance from a relevant, licensed physician to end their life. In the United States, the issue reached the Supreme Court in 1917 in the case of Washington v. Glucksberg, in which the Court ruled that there is no federal law that either legalizes or prohibits medical aid in dying and that it is a states’ rights issue.

This year, legislation (which would amend the Public Health Law) was passed in both the Assembly (A.995a) sponsored by New York State Assemblywoman Paulin and the Senate (S.2445a) sponsored by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal for the Medical Aid in Dying Act, also known as the Death with Dignity Act. Supporters hope it will be signed by Governor Hochul. (In 2019, Governor Cuomo came out in support of the bill but failed to include it in his budget message.)

Nine states (Oregon, Vermont, Washington, California, Montana, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey and Colorado) and the District of Columbia now allow physician-assisted aid in dying. The legislation would allow it in New York State.

The legislation includes safeguards against abuse of the dying and protections for medical personnel who act in good faith in compliance with the law. Medical aid in dying  is intended to be a thoroughly thought-out and planned decision, not a spontaneous one.

A mentally competent, terminally ill patient aged 18 years or older and a resident of New York State may request medication to be self-administered by making an oral and a written request to an attending physician, witnessed by two adults. The attending physician shall examine the patient and his records, determine whether he has a terminal disease and the capacity to make an informed decision of his own volition, as confirmed also by a consulting physician. If the attending physician or the consulting physician believes that the patient may lack capacity, such physician shall refer the patient to a mental health professional.

If the mental health professional determines that the patient lacks capacity to make an informed decision, the patient shall not be deemed a qualified individual and the attending physician shall not prescribe medication to the patient.

It is important for the healthcare provider to distinguish between medical aid in dying and assisted suicide. A patient who requests medication under the legislation shall not be considered suicidal and the patient and their beneficiaries shall not be denied any benefits because of it. The attending physician may sign the individual’s death certificate; the cause of death will be the underlying terminal illness. Additionally, patients have the right to rescind their request for medical aid in dying at any time, even if the medication has been administered.

Objections to the legislation have been  made on religious and cultural grounds, or because persons with disabilities may feel that they are being targeted. Although persons requesting medical assistance may be seeking relief from the pain of their disease, they may also be reluctant to remain as a burden to their family or doctors. A private health care facility may prohibit the prescribing or self-administering of medication while a patient is being treated in or residing in their facility, often because it has religious objections or has been established to provide palliative care. 

If necessary, the patient shall be transferred to another facility that can meet the patient’s needs — in its justification the current legislation states clearly that patients should not have to leave the state or the country to control how their lives end but should be able to die with dignity, on their own terms, typically in their own homes, surrounded by their family and other loved ones.

Jonathan Treem, MD, of the University of Colorado Palliative Care, discussed ethical considerations in Medical Aid in Dying: Ethical and Practical Issues, JADPRO, Apr 1, 2023. Not all patients who inquire about medical aid in dying intend to end their life with medication. Many see it as an insurance policy for the end-of-life care, to maintain their autonomy. The most common diagnosis among patients is cancer, followed by neurologic disorders such as ALS and dementia. Many are enrolled in Hospice programs. In Colorado, in 2019, Dr. Treem points out, only 20% of those who got prescriptions actually had it dispensed.

The legislation that has been passed would make it possible for a greater number of New Yorkers to seek help as they face the end of life. Please ask Governor Hochul to sign it.

Nancy Marr is Vice-President of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, call 631-862-6860.

Since the mid-20th century, when mass production of plastics began, they have infiltrated our lives. Their production and incineration release significant greenhouse gases, which contributes to climate change. The fact that plastics resist natural decay makes it difficult  to recycle them. Nearly all the plastic ever produced still exists in one form or another, and it is estimated that its production is expected to triple by 2060. 

Because they are inexpensive to produce and can be lightweight, the single-use plastics are useful as trash bags, utensils, and household items, and are used by the food and healthcare industries for hygiene, durability and cost effectiveness.

Plastics also pose risks to human health. Recent studies have found microplastics in almost every part of the human body, including breast milk, the placenta, testicles, hearts,  livers and kidneys. Although the full effects are still under research, the presence of plastic in our bodies raises serious concerns. Plastics also contain chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, which can leach into food and beverages. These disrupt hormones and are linked to health issues such as infertility, obesity, and cancer. Microplastics, formed when larger plastics degrade, are now found in seafood and even drinking water.  

A key issue is not how much plastic waste is produced, but how much of it is mismanaged — improperly disposed of, often ending up in nature. Many developing nations lack the infrastructure to properly collect, sort, or recycle plastic, resulting in widespread dumping into the environment. Nigeria (87.5%), India (68.6%), and Indonesia (43.8%) have some of the highest rates of mismanaged waste, while wealthier countries such as the U.S.(5.1%) and the U.K. (6%) perform better, though not ideally. 

The United States produces more than any other nation, over 42 million metric tons of plastic waste, largely impacting communities of color and low income communities. New York State produces 6.8 million tons of packaging waste each year. Most of this packaging is sent to landfills, burned in incinerators, or littered in our streets, parks and beaches. Far too much finds its way into our rivers, lakes, and the Atlantic Ocean.   

There were hopes that a United Nations global plastics treaty would be finalized by the end of 2024. However, due to resistance, especially from oil-producing companies, it did not happen. Talks are set to continue, but progress will depend on local action.

Since 2020, at least 5 states (California, Montana, Oregon, Minnesota and Maine) have enacted Extended Producer Responsibility legislation to make plastics producers responsible for curbing plastic pollution and paying municipalities for their share of managing the waste. In response, plastics producers have worked to improve their recycling efforts. 

As reported in Resource Recycling, Nicole Portley, program leader for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, pointed out “It’s important for producers to remember that the EPR came about as a compromise between industry and anti-plastic advocates, who wanted regulations like product bans.”

In New York State, Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick and Senator Peter Harckham (S1462) have introduced The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. The bill requires big companies to cut their plastic packaging by 30% over the next twelve years, bans 14 highly toxic chemicals including PFAS, formaldehyde, mercury, lead, vinyl chloride, and bisphenols that are used in packaging, and requires the companies responsible for dealing with the packaging waste to pay the municipalities dealing with it. 

A question has been raised about the cost to consumers from the introduction of EPR requirements. Satyajit Bose, Columbia School of Professional Studies, estimates that there would be no more than a maximum increase of $4 per household in monthly grocery costs, while plastic manufacturers claim $40 to $60 more per month. The bills are currently in committee; they will amend the Environmental Conservation Law, passed by the New York State Legislature in 2014, which included Article 27, Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling.

This bill is urgently needed. Long Island is responsible for 1.6 million tons per year of which 205,000 tons go to landfills off Long Island, and 1.4 million tons are sent to waste-to-energy facilities, resulting in 400,000 tons of ash that must be landfilled. The one wise choice everyone agrees with is to reduce our waste stream. This bill does just that. 

We need to press the Assembly and Senate and Governor Hochul to sign this bill this year in June to reduce the impact of plastic waste on our communities. 

Nancy Marr is Vice-President of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, call 631-862-6860.