Early voting

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioner Brian Abram said there are a small set of primaries this year, with most voters not having a primary election to vote in, “We do not have any Democratic primaries throughout Chautauqua County in any way shape or form. We have a Republican, a Conservative, and Working Families primary races. Again, we would love that people would visit our website and they can also look at the ballot.”

The towns of Arkwight, Dunkirk,  Mina, and Ripley all have a Republican primary. The City of Dunkirk has a Working Families primary. And the town of Ripley has a Conservative primary.

Commissioner Luz Torres added that, “In order to vote in a Primary in New York State, voters must be registered in the Political Party having a Primary. Voters who changed their political party on or after February 15, 2023 will have their party choice put into a pending status and will be changed on July 5, when the ability to changes one’s political party affiliation resumes. Voters who did not submit their change of enrollment by February 14, 2023 to a party holding a Primary will not be eligible to vote in this year’s Primary Elections.”

Early Voting for the June 27 Primary Election will be held at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in the City of Dunkirk.

Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays; Monday and Tuesday from noon to 8:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Early Voting will run daily from Saturday, June 17 to Sunday, June 25.

The other three early voting sites designated for the November 7, 2023 General Election will not be open during the June Early Voting period.

Poll Sites on Primary Election Day, June 27, will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

With the exception of the Working Families members in the City of Dunkirk, voters for the Primary Election should visit their normal poll site. All members of the Working Families party in the City of Dunkirk will vote at St. John’s ICC, 728 Eagle Street for this Primary Election only.

The Commissioners reminded voters that even though they are hearing news regarding the 2024 Presidential Elections, the Elections being held this year are NOT for the Office of President.

For more information, visit votechautauqua.com

State legislators who supported the bill said the move was made to increase voter participation.

Elected officials in the middle of a term would be allowed to finish out their time in office, and those elected in an odd-numbered year after 2025 would have their term reduced so the office will be up for election again in the following even-year election.

The mandate would not apply to city elections, nor for specific elected offices protected in the state Constitution to be held in odd-numbered years, including county clerk, sheriff, district attorneys, local judges and others.

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Brian Abram said he could see there being voter confusion, “Candidates having their terms shortened is a concern. The size of the ballot and the amount of information that’s being digested by the voter on an even-year cycle will be a concern, so as we look forward at it we see some obstacles that will have to be ironed out.”

Abram said it’s unlikely that there will be any cost savings due to there still being county-wide elections in odd-numbered years and those elections come with fixed costs, “When you’re doing a county-wide process, a judge, family court judge, a supreme court, anything that you’re doing you’re open for every poll site, you’re open for early voting, you’re open and doing all your things, the major parties are involved, it’s a fixed cost and labor, it’s trucking, it’s ballot and machines.”

Abram said the only options to reduce costs would be to permanently close a polling site or not have early voting. He said there could even be potential added costs in even-numbered years if the size of the ballot has to be increased due to more offices being up for election that year, “In house, we print and we save Chautauqua County taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars every year by taking on that responsibility. You outsource that same ballot and the price probably goes up not double, triple, quadruple, but beyond that. In house printing is very cost effective. Sourcing it and buying from a vendor is very expensive.”

State Senator George Borrello voted against the bill, saying it won’t give “local races a higher profile. The reality would be the opposite: local candidates’ platforms and messages would be lost in the flood media coverage and paid ads for state and federal candidates.”

The bill still needs final approval from Governor Kathy Hochul and as of today, had still not been sent to the Governor’s Office for signature.

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners Luz Torres and Brian Abram said 7,064 voters took part in early voting during the nine-day span. This is the second highest early voting turnout in Chautauqua County since early voting started in 2019.

In 2019, 3,827 participated in early voting. In 2020, which was a Presidential election year, 14,279 early voted. And in 2021, 3,276 early voted.

They said over 2,200 absentee ballots have been returned and opened by the Board of Elections as well.
Any voter who still have their Absentee Ballot can either place it in the mail by Election Day, November 8, 2022; or it can be dropped off at any Election Day poll site during voting hours on Tuesday.

Any individual who has already cast a ballot during early voting or returned their Absentee Ballot will be required to vote via a Provisional Affidavit Ballot. Additionally, anyone who has requested an Absentee Ballot but not yet returned it must vote via a Provisional Affidavit Ballot.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel said the second, third, and fourth floors of the building will be closed to the public. This impacts the Public Health, Environmental Health and Social Services Divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services.

County operations located on the first and basement floors of the HRC Building, which include the Office for Aging Services, Public Defender’s Office, Board of Elections, and Department of Motor Vehicles are not impacted by this closure and will remain open to the public.

Residents are also reminded that early voting is still taking place at the Board of Elections Office this week.

All county staff at the HRC building are to report to work on November 3 as normal unless otherwise told by their supervisor.

Early voting

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners Luz Torres and Brian Abram announced there will be four poll sites open for early voting.

These sites include the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, the Chautauqua Mall, the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Board of Elections office.

Each location will have signage that will indicate the entrances to the poll site. All registered voters in Chautauqua County are able to visit any one of these four early voting poll sites to cast their ballot early.

All four sites will be open the same hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Early voting runs for nine days from Saturday, October 29 through Sunday, November 6. Early voting is not available on Monday, November 7.

All Early Voting sites are handicap accessible and do have a Ballot Marking Device for voters with disabilities.

Voters who cast their ballot early will not be able to cast a ballot during subsequent Early Voting days or on Election Day.

If you request an Absentee Ballot, recent law changes will prevent you from casting your ballot using the voting machine during Early Voting or on Election Day.

If you come to the poll site and want to vote, you will only be able to vote a Provisional Affidavit Ballot, which can be counted if you have not already returned your Absentee Ballot.

Visit votechautauqua.com to view sample ballots and learn more information about election day.

Map Created by Irena Raia

Early voting for the special election for the 23rd Congressional District and the Republican Primary for the 23rd District begins Saturday.

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioner Brian Abram said everyone who is a registered voter in Chautauqua County is eligible to vote in the special election, “So the door is wide open for everybody to walk in and decide on the special election between Max Della Pia and Joe Sempolinski on who they want to serve out the rest of Tom Reed‘s 23rd Congressional District until the end of the year. The next phase is, every Republican walking in the door will be entitled to two ballots. Because not only will they be able to participate in the special, but there is a primary going on between Nick Langworthy and Carl Paladino.”

Abram said that primary will determine which Republican will be on the ballot in November against Democratic candidate Max Della Pia.

He added that once the special election results are certified, the winning candidate will be sworn in to serve out the remainder of Tom Reed’s term in Congress.

Early voting will continue through Sunday, August 21 and will take place at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood, and at the Board of Elections offices in Mayville. Hours for early voting, sample ballots and more can be found at votechautauqua.com

The official primary and special election day is Tuesday, August 23 with polls open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. that day.

Early voting

Chautauqua County Board of Election Commissioners Luz Torres and Brian Abram said all registered Democratic and Republican voters are eligible to vote in the primary. Democrats will vote for who will run Governor and Lieutenant

Governor on that line while the Republicans will decide on Governor candidates only. There are no local primary races in the county.

All four of the Early Voting sites in the County will be open from Saturday June 18 thru Sunday June 26.

Voters can choose to cast their ballot early at:
• Board of Elections Offices in the Hall R. Clothier Building in Mayville
• Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk
• Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown
• Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood

Early voting sites are open Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday noon to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Any voter who casts their ballot early cannot cast another ballot on subsequent early voting days or on Election Day.

Also new this year, voters who request an Absentee Ballot will no longer be able to vote on the voting machines on Election Day.

Commissioner Torres said, “All Boards of Elections will be counting their Absentees before Election Day to provide the most accurate numbers on Election Night. Therefore, voters who request an Absentee Ballot; whether they vote it or not, will not be able to scan their ballot on the voting machine. Instead, voters who show up at the poll site can still vote a Provisional Affidavit Ballot. If their Absentee was not returned, then their Affidavit Ballot would count.”

For more information, call (716) 753-4580 or email, vote@chqgov.com. Visit www.votechautauqua.com to review absentee ballot options, download voter registration forms, and poll site locations.

Abram said 2020 was a bit of an anomaly between it being a Presidential election plus the fear that polls might be shut down on Election Day due to the spread of COVID-19. 40% of registered voters in Chautauqua County participated in early voting in 2020.

He added that the first year early voting was held in 2019, 3-thousand-827 voters turned out in the county.

Early voting in Chautauqua County and the rest of New York State will begin on Saturday with three separate polling sites in the county.

Early voting will be conducted at the Board of Elections office in Mayville; the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood; and the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk. Hours on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, along with Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. are from Noon to 5 p.m. Weekday hours will run from Noon to 8 p.m next Monday and Tuesday, and also 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

There will be no voting taking place on Monday, Nov. 2, to allow the board of elections time to prepare for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. For election day, all poling sites across the county will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Whether voting in person early, or waiting until election day, all voters will be asked to wear a mask when entering the polling location and also respect social distancing.

This year there are over 79,500 active registered voters in the county, an increase of nearly 3,000 from just last year.

For more general information about voting this year, visit the board of elections website at VoteChautauqua.com or call 716-753-4580.

Green said that under Cuomo’s proposal announced earlier this month, all counties with less than 100,000 registered voters would be required to open one early voting poll site for any election and that the early voting site will be open for 12 days before any election.

“Chautauqua County and all of the western New York counties accept Erie and Niagara will fall under this proposal.  That means one site for our county and if we ever solve our customer parking problem in Mayville, that would likely be at the Board of Elections office,” said Green.

“With our ever falling anemic non-presidential year voter turnout numbers, we need to do something about voter turnout.  This proposal is one obvious answer and will allow voters to come the dozen days before any election to vote and that will include weekends,” Green continued. “As for the costs, Gov. Cuomo is proposing $7 million for counties to use to help cover the costs of early voting.  Commissioner Abram and I believe that we can do this in a cost effective manner in our county and the Governor’s help would get us started.”

Green said that if it goes forward, the one site would likely be at the County Board of Elections office in Mayville.

“I hope Assemblyman Andy Goodell and Senator Cathy Young will support this voter enfranchisement proposal,” said Green.