Biden, McMurray get majority of absentee votes in Orleans
Trump, Jacobs had overwhelmingly support at ballot box with in-person voting
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Administration Building is pictured on election night, Nov. 3. The Board of Elections is located in the building, which also hosted a polling site for nine days of early voting.
Joe Biden and Nate McMurray both received a small fraction of in-person votes in Orleans County. But the two Democratic candidates fared much better with absentee ballots that were counted today.
Biden received 1,424 of the 2,391 ballots for president or 59.6 percent. Donald Trump, who received 71.4 percent of the in-person votes for president, saw the absentee percentage drop to 37.7 percent or 902 total.
Trump was still the overwhelming choice in Orleans County for president when all the ballots were counted. He received 12,075 votes to 5,506 for Biden.
Third party candidates also picked up votes with Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian) receiving 311 votes, Brock Pierce (Independence) 71 votes and Howie Hawkins (Green Party) at 49 votes.
• 27th Congressional District: On election night on Nov. 3, when the in-person votes were counted, Chris Jacobs received 10,687 votes to 3,843 for Nate McMurray and 234 for Duane Whitmer. Jacobs ran under the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines, with McMurray on the Democratic and Working Families parties. Whitmer ran as a Libertarian.
McMurray did much better with the absentees, receiving 56.0 percent or 1,275, to 961 for Jacobs (42.2 percent). Whitmer picked up 40 more.
3 state legislators
• Robert Ortt was re-elected to a fourth term as state senator in a district that includes Orleans, Niagara and a portion of Monroe counties. Ortt was unopposed. He received 12,630 in-person votes in Orleans County and added 1,525 more absentees out of 2,413 ballots. That means 888 of the absentee voters didn’t give Ortt a vote.
• Steve Hawley of Batavia was re-elected to another term in the State Assembly, where he was first elected in 2006. Hawley received 11,097 in-person votes in nine of the 10 towns in Orleans. The 139th District includes all of Genesee County and a portion of Monroe County. He received 1,309 absentee votes and Mark Glogowski, a Libertarian candidate, picked up 213 votes through absentees.
• Michael Norris was unopposed for a third term as assemblyman for the 144th District which includes portions of Niagara and Erie counties, and also Shelby in Orleans County. Norris received 1,342 in-person votes in Shelby and added 178 more with absentees, out of 300 ballots.
Contested county and town races
• County Clerk: Nadine Hanlon increased her lead over Diane Shampine. Hanlon received 1,131 of the absentees or 66.6 percent to 564 for Shampine. Hanlon, who won a close Republican primary over Shampine in June, had 8,900 in-person votes to 4,474 for Shampine, who stayed on the ballot with the Conservative Party.
• Murray highway superintendent: Dirk Lammes had a big lead over James DeFilipps after election night with 1,076 votes under the Republican and Conservative lines, while DeFilipps has 674 under the Independence line and the independent “Jimmy D for Highway” party. DeFilipps narrowed the gap slightly in absentees, 126 to 118. Lammes will be the winner, 1,194 to 800.
• Shelby Town Councilman: Ryan Wilkins received 1,102 in-person votes under the Republican line. Craig Stalker also mounted a write-in campaign and there were 229 write-in votes with in-person voting. Wilkins received 165 absentees while there were eight more write-in votes through absentees.
The other local positions were unopposed:
- District Attorney: Joe Cardone received 11,794 in-person votes, plus 1,502 absentees.
- Coroner (elect 3 who are all unopposed): Scott Schmidt – 10,980 in-person votes, plus 1,429 absentees; Charles Smith – 9,594 in-person votes, plus 1,270 absentees; and Rocco Sidari – 10,262 in-person votes, plus 1,322 absentees.
- Murray Town Justice: Theodore R. Spada, Jr. – 1,441 in-person votes, plus 186 absentees.
- Murray Town Councilman: Randy Bower – 1,433 in-person votes, plus 193 absentees.
- Shelby Town Supervisor: Jeff Smith – 1,264 in-person votes, plus 176 absentees.
