Absentee ballot applications have tripled in Orleans this election
ALBION – There has been a big increase in applications for absentee ballots, with many choosing to vote by mail rather than in person during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Orleans County Board of Elections has 2,740 absentee ballot applications on file as of Wednesday. That is about triple the 952 absentee ballot applications received in 2016 during the last Presidential election.
The county BOE plans to open and count the ballots on Nov. 10, a week after the Nov. 3 election.
The BOE also will begin nine days of early voting on Saturday. That will continue until Nov. 1.
The early voting option is part of a state mandate to allow greater access to the polls. The county offered early voting for the first time a year ago and then again during the June primary.
Voters can cast their ballots at the Board of Elections in the County Administration Building, located behind the nursing home at 14016 Route 31.
The hours the polls will be open include:
- Oct. 24-25 (Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Oct. 26 (Monday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 27-28 (Tuesday and Wednesday) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Oct. 29-30 (Thursday and Friday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 31-Nov. 1 (Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The general election is Nov. 3 with polls in the 10 towns in Orleans County open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
