Big increase in early voting in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2020 at 3:22 pm

Nearly 700 vote this weekend in first chance to cast ballots

Photo courtesy of Scott Bennett: There was a long line outside the Orleans County Administration Building on Saturday morning for the first chance of early voting.

ALBION – Nearly 700 people have cast ballots in early voting this weekend in Orleans County. That is already almost twice the number of early voters a year ago over nine days, the first time there was an early voting option in Orleans County.

There was a long line on Saturday morning just before 9 a.m. at the Orleans County Administration Building.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Early voting is at the Orleans County Administration Building on Route 31.

“It was crazy,” said Scott Bennett, a voting machine technician for the county. “It’s been insane.”

There were 364 early voters on Saturday, followed by 332 today.

“Today was steady,” Bennett said. “Yesterday was swamped.”

The polls were open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Board of Elections at the County Administration Building on Route 31.

When there was early voting for the first time a year ago, there were 32 voters on the first day and then 26 on Sunday, the second day. In the nine days of early voting in 2019, there were 374 early voters out of about 23,000 registered voters in the county.

Early voting continues until Nov. 1 at the Board of Elections.

The schedule includes: