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Onondaga County Sees A Rise In Absentee Ballots for Election Onondaga County Sees A Rise In Absentee Ballots for Local Election

By Joey Semel

JOEY SEMEL: This year’s local election could see a record number of voters.
It’s trending that way as of now. Onondaga County Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny says that the county is already seeing more absentee ballots than in previous local elections.

DUSTIN CZARNY: Absentee balloting has picked up. We’ve had more requests now for a local year than any year on record. And we are getting them more and more by the day.

SEMEL: However not everyone is convinced. Voter Stephanie Dyer says that she’s still casting her ballot in person just to be safe.

STEFFANIE DYER: I’d rather be secure to make sure my vote counts instead of just, ‘I don’t know if my vote went in.’ You know, the mail may this, but I’d rather because I fought for this, to vote for vote.

SEMEL: Czarny predicts that eventually more voters like Steffanie will switch over to absentee ballot voting. He predicts that there will be a 33, 33, 33-percent split between early voting, absentee ballot voting, and day of voting. The big reason for the jump in absentee ballots. People can do it right here from their own couch and proudly say, ‘I voted.’

CZARNY: People like the convenience. They like to be able to vote from home, there is a pandemic going on. People want to feel safe.

SEMEL: The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is today, but early voting begins on Saturday. Joey Semel, in Syracuse, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)–  The Onondaga County Board of Elections is expecting a busy next couple of weeks.

With Election Day just two weeks away, the county is already seeing more absentee ballots than in previous elections. Onondaga County Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny said that the county is seeing record numbers during the election’s earliest stage.

“Absentee balloting has picked up,” Czarny said. “We’ve had more requests now for a local year than any year on record. And we are getting them more and more by the day.”

Czarny said there are a few reasons why we are seeing this big jump in absentee voting.  One reason is the pandemic. Czarny said that people really just want to feel safe. The other reason — it’s just easy and convenient.

“People like the convenience.” Czarny said. “They like to be able to vote from home”

There are still more ways to vote prior to Election Day. According to the Onondaga County Board of Elections, beginning on Saturday, six early voting locations will open. Those locations are:

  • CAMILLUS TOWN HALL
  • CLAY TOWN HALL COURTROOM
  • DEWITT TOWN HALL COURTROOM
  • LAFAYETTE FIRE STATION #1
  • ARMOND MAGNARELLI COMMUNITY CENTER AT MCCHESNEY PARK
  • SYRACUSE COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Czarny said that usually, you see about 40% of the electorate vote in local elections. He’s hopeful that number will be higher this year.

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