LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — For the first time in 20 years, voters in the village of Liverpool are seeing more than one name on the ballot when they vote for a new mayor today.
The two candidates for the position are Christina Fadden (R) and Stacy Finney (D). For the last two decades, Republican candidates had not faced a challenger on the villager’s mayoral election day.
For longtime residents of Liverpool, such as Martha Hours, having options is refreshing.
“People want a choice. They really do,” Hours said. “It isn’t like one’s right and one’s wrong. You need a choice.”
Other voters are ready to bring in some change and fresh faces. That is what excites Katharine Gaul, also a resident of Liverpool, about having multiple candidates to choose from.
“I think we’ve had a good village for years,” Gaul said. “But I think it would be good to vote for the Democrats, get a different party in.”
Hours agrees, saying that she likes the “grassroots” candidates on the ballots this year, as opposed to what she called “creatures of the party.” She noted that their relative youth and familiarity with the area makes them great candidates in her eyes.
Having that choice was quite appealing for many residents, as demonstrated by the long line to vote at the Liverpool Village Hall. By the time the polls opened at noon, a line stretching to the entrance of the building had already formed.
It wasn’t just in-person voters, though. Hours said she saw a clerk with a big stack of absentee ballots. A village employee came into the voting room periodically to drop ballots into the appropriate container as the first in-person voters cast their ballots on paper.
Gaul enjoyed seeing the long lines, but admitted it did move quite slow. There was just one person checking voters in. However, she will still be awaiting the results.
“It’s wonderful,” Gaul said of the turnout. “I’ll be anxious to see what happens.”
Registered voters in Liverpool can cast their vote at the Liverpool Town Hall until 9 p.m. tonight.
