DELHI - Early voting in Delaware County, which began Saturday, Oct. 28, got off to good start, with 184 votes cast by 4 p.m. on Oct. 30.
Early voting began in 2019 in Delaware County, with the county’s sole polling place at the Delaware County Board of Elections. This year, compared to previous years, the number of early voters is slightly less, but it’s not a fair comparison, Election Commissioner Judith Garrison said; last year the governor, lieutenant governor, congressional representative, senator and assembly representatives were on the ballot. The first weekend of early voting in 2022 saw 275 people at the polls. This year, there were 122 early voters the first weekend.
Election Commissioner Maria Kelso attributes the good turnout to the number of contested races on the ballot this year.
“Some of those that were in a primary filed on an independent line,” Kelso said.
This year there are contested races in the towns of Andes, Bovina, Colchester, Delhi, Hamden, Hancock, Meredith, Middletown, Roxbury, Sidney, Stamford and Walton.
There is no competition on the ballot in the towns of Deposit, Franklin, Harpersfield, Kortright, Masonville or Tompkins.
While voting, election commissioners remind voters to flip over their ballot to vote on two propositions - one to remove small city school districts from special constitutional debt limitation, and a second to extend sewage project debt exclusions from the debt limit.
There are 27 polling sites in Delaware County, including the Delaware County Board of Elections, 97 Main Street, Delhi. The sites include 55 districts in 19 towns. There is no inclination to offer early voting polling sites in other parts of the county, Garrison said, due to Delaware County’s low population.
Early voting continues through Sunday, Nov. 5. For hours of early voting visit www.co.delaware.ny.us/departments/elec/early_voting.htm or call 607-832-5321.
The general election is Nov. 7 with voting at local polling sites.
