KAT HELDT: EARLY VOTING TOOK PLACE OVER THE WEEKEND AND SYRACUSE, NEW YORK IS ALREADY BUSTLING. SUNDAY TURNED OUT TO BE THE POLLING PLACE’S BUSIEST DAY TO THOSE WHO CHOSE TO VOTE EARLY. THE ONONDAGA BOARD OF ELECTIONS ARE CONTINUING TO PREPARE FOR TUESDAY TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS READY AND SET UP FOR THE BIG DAY.
WITH ELECTIONS COMING UP THIS TUESDAY, THE ONONDAGA COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN QUITE BUSY JUST INSIDE. AND EARLY VOTER TURNOUT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN MUCH LARGER COMPARED TO LAST ELECTIONS.
AND ONONDAGA ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER DUSTIN CZARNY EXPLAINS THAT EARLY VOTING HAS THREE TIMES THE RATE OF PEOPLE PARTICIPATING COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS BECAUSE THEY ARE MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND NOT LOCAL.
JUSTIN CZARNY:” We don’t know what to expect, but I guessed around twenty to twenty-five thousand. It’s going to probably be about thirty-two thousand early voters.”
HELDT: SO WHY THIS YEAR? IT IS CONVENIENT. WHETHER IT HAS TO DO WITH WORK, FEAR OF SICKNESS, OR MOTIVATION.. PEOPLE HAVE MANY REASONS TO GET THEIR BALLOT EARLY. CZARNY TOO WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THE NUMBER OF EARLY VOTERS THIS YEAR EVEN THOUGH VOTING PARTICIPATION HAS INCREASED EVER SINCE THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THOUGH, LAST YEAR THERE WAS A LACK OF VOTING THAT CAUSED SPECULATION THAT PARTICIPATION MAY START DECREASING AGAIN.
CZARNY: “Many people thought maybe the bubble had burst and people were going back to their pre-Trump era participation, but that’s not what we’re seeing this year not what we’re expecting this year. Definitely on February elections we’re still seeing high turnout.”
HELDT: TODAY IS THE LAST DAY REGISTERED VOTERS CAN APPLY FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, AND TOMORROW REGISTERED VOTERS MAY VOTE IN PERSON AT THEIR LOCAL POLLING SITES.
FROM SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.. I’M KAT HELDT.
SYRACUSE N.Y. (NCC News)- Early voting took place over the weekend in New York, and Onondaga County saw record high numbers in participation. Overall, there was about 32,000 early voters, which is setting the precedent for Election Day tomorrow.
The Onondaga County Board of Elections has been preparing for midterm elections for the last six months, and tomorrow is finally Election Day. Onondaga Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny explains that early voting has increased three times the rate than it was last year.
Czarny believes people choose early voting and absentee ballots for convenience whether that be because of work or fear of COVID.
There were looming fears that trends of voter participation would lack like last year, but that is not the case.
“Many people thought maybe the bubble had burst and people were going back to their pre-Trump era participation,” Czarny says. “But that’s not what we’re seeing this year, not what we’re expecting this year. Definitely on February elections we’re still seeing high turnout”
Today is the last day to register in person for an absentee ballot, and tomorrow registered voters can vote in person at their local polling sites.
