New York Times: Democrats in Albany Let the Good Times Roll

Democrats in Albany had something altogether new and unfamiliar to warm them in the bitter chill that marks the start of the legislative season: power.

In November, the party won real control of the State Senate for the first time in more than a half-century. This week, Democratic senators — along with colleagues who have long controlled the Assembly — began plowing ahead with reforms that Republicans have blocked for years.

On Monday, the Legislature updated archaic election laws by approving bills to enact early voting, to mandate that primary elections for state and federal offices be held on the same day, and to let 16- and 17-year-olds preregister to vote.

Hours later, they closed a loophole that let shell businesses called limited liability companies avoid limits on corporate donations by treating them like individuals. This long-overdue measure should help curb the influence of dark money, particularly from real estate interests, in politics. …

These heady times at the Capitol have some of New York’s liberals pinching themselves. Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a reform group, said she was recovering from shock after watching Democrats in the first hours of the new legislative session enact voting reforms that had been stymied for years. “It’s whiplash,” Ms. Lerner said. “Is there more to do? Yes. But today, we’re celebrating.”