1,265 absentees taken out for election, about 5% of voters
ALBION – Registered voters in Orleans County requested 1,265 absentee ballots and 1,095 were returned by today, Board of Elections officials said this evening.
The potential of 170 other absentees need to be postmarked by today and received in the mail by next Tuesday when they will be counted, said Mike Mele and Janice Grabowski, the county’s election commissioners.
Of the 1,095 absentees returned so far, all but 40 should be part of the vote totals later tonight, Mele and Grabowski said. Those 40 not counted were received on Monday and today and will be counted on Nov. 12.
The commissioners said there has been a big turnout today, with lines but the wait rarely topped 15 minutes. Mele said in Monroe County there have been waits of 2 ½ hours.
“There have been some lines but we expected that,” Mele said at about 9 p.m.
The county is using new voting machines this election and Mele and Grabowski said there haven’t been any significant issues with the machines, which replaced 15-year-old optical-scan equipment.
The polls closed today in Orleans County at 9 p.m.
