In addition to electing members of Congress and state representatives, voters headed to the polls in Albany County this election season will be asked to weigh in on two ballot initiatives.
If you're getting ready to head to the polls (or frantically googling from behind the privacy screen) and don't know whether to vote yes or no, WAMC has got you covered.
Just don't forget to flip over your ballot — both initiatives will be on the back.
Proposition 1: Replacing coroners with medical examiners
The first ballot initiative asks voters whether they want to replace the elected county coroners with an appointed medical examiner and deputy.
The coroners — or if created, the medical examiner's office — respond to deaths that are suspicious, unattended or the result of an accident.
The chief medical examiner would have to be a licensed physician with expertise in forensic pathology. They would be appointed to a six-year term by the county executive and confirmed by the Albany County Legislature.
The chief medical examiner, a full-time employee, would be able to hire a full-time chief deputy medical examiner and other staff, like death investigators.
County officials told legislators at a budget hearing Tuesday that the county is talks to share medical examiner resources with a "neighboring county" in an effort to share costs. If the Proposition 1 passes, that deal could be approved as soon as December.
The medical examiners would replace Albany County's four part-time corners, who are elected to four-year terms.
Coroners can conduct death investigations and must sign off before a body can be removed from a scene. The county contracts with outside medical professionals — often Ellis Medicine — to conduct autopsies.
Coroners are required to live in Albany County for one year and must undergo death investigation training once elected, per the Albany County Charter.
The County Legislature approved the measure 26-11, with Democrats and Republicans on both sides of the vote.
The case for voting "yes":
Proponents of Proposition 1 argue that creating a medical examiner's office would modernize the county's process for investigating deaths and get rid of the "antiquated" coroners.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, a backer of the ballot initiative, says he got frustrated with the lack of quality data on COVID-19 deaths during the pandemic and on overdose deaths during the opioid crisis. He says having a full-time physician in charge will make the operation more professional and organized.
"They weren't tracking it. There's just statistics that they should have, [they're] not getting back to people," McCoy said in an interview. "And there's professionals — I'm not taking away from the coroners, they did a good job. But it's the administrative side of the house, right? And it's the 21st century. We got to change the approach."
County officials report that coroners can sometimes take hours to get the scene of a death — which is a problem, because coroners need to sign off before a body can be moved.
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple says his office has worked with some "incredibly great" coroners, but others have been "horrific."
"Bodies have waited extended periods of time to be removed from a street, from a house," Apple said in an interview. "I've seen some horrific acts, where a body was actually put in the back of a Lincoln Town Car and taken down to the morgue. So, I think this is a good way to go, having the medical examiners."
Few people have wanted to run for coroner in recent years, according to McCoy.
The case for voting "no":
In the legislature, some members were concerned that the office could cost even more than what McCoy has budgeted for. They point to what they believe to be an underestimate on the three death investigators county officials propose hiring.
"I am concerned the cost of the new office will be more than the administration thinks," Albany County Legislator Mark Grimm, who voted in favor of keeping the coroners, said in an email. "It does try to modernize things. Close call for me on the vote. Anxious to first see what the public has to say prior to the referendum."
The County Executive's Office originally estimated that switching to a medical examiner's office would cost an additional $935,000 per year, although they said the cost increase may only be an additional $600,000 if the proposed resource-sharing agreement with that "neighboring county" goes through.
WAMC has reached out to the Coroner's Office for comment. A coroner reached by WAMC declined to comment, but said he would reach out to other coroners.
Coroners are elected, so voters would also still have the final say over the position if the measure is voted down.
Proposition 2:
The second initiative on the ballot asks voters to create a process for expelling Albany County Legislators.
If passed, the County Legislature could vote to expel one of its members from office for not living in their district, knowingly filing a "materially false" financial statement with the County while serving, or being convicted of a felony while in office. The legislature would also be empowered to investigate its members for those punishable violations.
Two-thirds of the County Legislature — or 26 of its 39 members — would need to vote to remove a member from office. Per the County Charter, the legislature could appoint a replacement for expelled members until the next general election, when voters would select a replacement.
The measure passed the legislature by a vote of 34-3.
The case for voting "yes":
Albany County Legislature Republican Minority Leader Frank Mauriello, who voted for the proposal, says the measure can be used to remove unqualified legislators who would otherwise spend years in office without facing voters.
"These are four-year terms, and so if a legislator does something that really goes against the public trust in them and their ability to serve in that office, I think we need to step forward and really police ourselves and remove that person from the legislature," Mauriello said in an interview. "And then [we can] have an election and have the public select another person."
The case for voting "no":
WAMC reached out to the three county legislators, all Democrats, who voted against the proposal. This section will be updated if they respond.
The ballot initiative is in large part the result of an investigation into whether County Legislator Beroro Efekoro, who voted against putting Proposition 2 to the voters, really lived in his district.
As originally reported by the Albany Times-Union in 2025, other Democrats in the legislature began investigating whether Efekoro lives in his district or in a different home he owns in another part of the City of Albany.
The investigation was based on a tip that Efekoro listed that second property as his primary residence on a mortgage form. A county investigator reportedly followed Efekoro for two weeks.
Democrats in the legislature say they were just trying to make sure Efekoro was following ethical guidelines. For his part, Efekoro has maintained that he doesn't live in that second property and says the investigation was retaliation for bucking party leadership.
The matter was ultimately dropped.
