This past weekend New Yorkers began to go to the polls to vote in the 2026 election. On the ballot there are elections for Congress, statewide offices, the state legislature, and many local offices. That last one is new – a new law moved many races for local office to even-numbered years in an effort to boost voter participation.

That’s not the only thing that’s new. Technologies – powered by Artificial Intelligence – will likely have an even greater impact than in previous elections.

Chatbots have the potential to make it much easier for voters to get the information that they need to choose who to vote for. Yet those same technologies have the potential to cause havoc in these elections.

With a week or so until the General Election, the intensity of the battle between Democrats and Republicans is reaching a fever pitch. It is this time – the last few weeks before the General Election – that some candidates resort to political “dirty tricks” to suppress turnout for their opponents while juicing up supporters to show up at the polls.

AI-powered technologies are now so advanced that it is extremely difficult for the public to figure out real electioneering from fake. Under New York law, altered, fake messages are supposed to come with a warning that they are not what they appear to be. Unfortunately, sometimes those warnings are missed by the casual viewer.

In an effort to combat voter confusion, the state’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has released its recommendations on how to consume political communications.

Let’s start with the basics. AI is not all knowing (at least not yet). Sometimes chatbots offer incorrect information. Just like the public should be cautious when using chatbots – most notably ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot – for research and problem solving since errors can occur, they should be careful when using these tools for gathering information in order to vote.

The concern goes beyond imperfect research. Malicious actors can use these powerful tools to try to actively influence the election. The public can’t rely on self-regulation by the tech companies – there is little evidence that major companies are doing enough to combat such dirty tricks.

So, it’s up to the voters to be conscious of the danger and adopt practical measures to minimize the possibility of being bamboozled by bad actors in political campaigns. Here are a few:

• Do not rely on AI chatbots to answer questions about elections or voting.
• Be skeptical of photos, videos, and audio circulating online about elections, candidates, or their campaigns. Remember that it may be fake.
• Do not assume something is real just because it looks or sounds real. AI fakes have evolved to the point that they may have no obvious flaws.
• Do not share content that seems suspicious without confirmation that it is real and accurate.
• Check any information on elections or voting that comes from unofficial sources and encourage others to do the same.
• Be mindful that the information in a phone call about voting or elections may be inaccurate or fake. Remember to verify information with official sources.
• Report false information about elections or voting, especially about when, where, or how to vote, to the OAG.

If you want detailed information on where to go to vote and when you can vote, use government websites, not chatbots. You can get that information by going to the New York State Board of Elections website, https://elections.ny.gov/ways-vote.

If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, you can check your voter registration status online on the SBOE website. October 24^th was the first day of early voting. Early voting lasts through November 1^st. The best way to know the hours of early voting and local polling locations – which are often different from those used for the traditional General Election Day voting – is to check with your local county board of elections’ websites.

The General Election Day is Tuesday November 3^rd during the period 6 a.m. through 9 p.m. (remember if you have voted during the early voting period, or if you voted by mail, you cannot vote again during the General Election). Don’t get fooled by those seeking to undermine your vote. Rely on trusted sources and show up to have your voice heard.

Quietly last month the New York State Democratic Committee transferred $10 million to Governor Hochul’s re-election campaign warchest. You heard that right: $10 million. And the move was entirely legal.

How did the State Democratic Committee get that much money? It’s the result of a loophole in the state’s campaign finance law that most New Yorkers have never heard of, but Albany’s “fat cats” know very well.

First some background.

New York’s campaign finance law sets contribution limits for those running for state and local office. For someone running for governor, the limits are no more than $9,000 per donor for a primary election (if there is one) and no more than $9,000 for the general. Contribution ceilings are supposed to limit donor influence on parties and candidates.

New York, like much of America, has a campaign finance system that allows the knowledgeable contributor to skirt the rules. In this case, contributors can donate to so-called “party committees.” These obscure committees are controlled by the leadership of the political party or legislative conference (or local political committees).

These committees receive few contributions, but the amount can be enormous. It is perfectly legal in New York to write a check for as much as $138,600 to a political party committee. In addition, the party committee then can transfer as much as it wants to the candidate of its choice. That’s how the State Democratic Committee, effectively controlled by the governor, was able to transfer $10 million to the governor’s re-election bid.

Who makes campaign contributions that exceed $138,000 – a sum beyond the average income for a New Yorker? It goes without saying that the wealthy and the powerful are the only ones capable of writing those checks. And it is precisely those entities that want something back from government.

A new report examined contributions to the party committees. Not surprisingly, Democratic Party-affiliated party committees – the party that dominates politics in Albany – collected the most money. Here’s some of the report’s key findings:

• During the last four and a half years (the most recent data available), of the nearly $117 million in campaign contributions to the political party committees, the state and legislative Democratic campaign committees received 72%. In every instance, state Democratic committees dominated their Republican committee counterparts.
• For the same period, among the largest sources of contributions were those that had business before government, with Political Action Committees (PACs) being the largest. PACs are almost always organized to provide electoral “punch” to groups that lobby state government.

This system is not new and it’s one that benefits both political parties when they are in control.

In the 1980s a special commission examined party committee contributions. It concluded: “The Commission found that this creates an unhealthy climate of indebtedness, with some candidates owing their success to party leaders who are in turn dangerously dependent on large contributions from special interests and those doing business with the government.”

Forty years later, nothing much changed. Reformers argue that contributions to party committees must be dramatically lowered and that limits must be placed on transfers from state parties to their candidates. Until those measures are taken, the findings of the four-decade-old report will continue to ring true: meaning party leaders “dangerously dependent on large contributions from special interests and those doing business with the government.”