Lyndonville topped in voter turnout for village elections with 25%

Photos by Tom Rivers: Village of Medina election inspectors count 488 paper ballots after the polls closed at 9 p.m. on Tuesday night at the Senior Center. It took about 1 ½ hours to count the votes. The election inspectors included Norma Huth, front right, and Mary Ann Ander, Judy Szulis and Linda Deyle.

Voters turnout was up in two out of the three villages that held elections in Orleans County compared to their most recent elections.

Lyndonville had the highest percentage of voters cast ballots at 25.4 percent, followed by 14.3 percent in Medina and only 3.3 percent in Albion. (Holley, the other village in Orleans County, has its election in June.)

• Albion: 3,160 registered voters, 105 voters – 3.3% turnout
• Lyndonville: 552 registered voters, 140 voters – 25.4% turnout
• Medina: 3,419 registered voters, 488 voters – 14.3% turnout

Medina in recent years has had unopposed candidates and typically drew less than 100 voters on election day.

In Medina, the turnout was only 1.2 percent in 2022 with 39 voters out of 3,389. The three candidates were all unopposed.

Last March’s election two trustee candidates were unopposed with Jess Marciano getting 53 votes and Diana Baker, 49.

Judy Szulis, one of Medina’s election inspectors, was pleased to see a steady flow of people during the nine hours of voting on Tuesday. She said she saw many new people at the polls, including younger adults.

Medina had seven candidates on Tuesday for three positions. Marguerite Sherman was elected mayor with 330 votes, and new trustees were elected with Debbie Padoleski receiving 267 votes and Mark Prawel, 198.

Medina’s biggest turnout in recent memory remains Jan. 20, 2015 when nearly 1,500 people voted to determine whether the village should be dissolved. There were 949 “no” votes that day and 527 that said “yes.”

Voters who ventured to the polls on Tuesday were battered with chilly weather and some blasts of snow.

A year ago in Lyndonville, two candidates ran unopposed with Kimberly Kenyon receiving 19 votes and Terry Stinson, 23.

Tuesday there were only two names on the ballot for three positions on the Village Board. But write-in campaigns helped bring out 140 voters. John Belson was re-elected mayor with 66 write-in votes. Danny Woodward Jr. was on the ballot and was re-elected trustee with 94 votes. He also got 33 for mayor. Anne Marie Holland also was re-elected as trustee with 62 as a write-in.

The election was quieter in Albion on Tuesday compared to two years ago when the village had three people running for mayor and four candidates for two trustee positions. More than 700 people voted in that election.

Albion only had two names on the ballot on Tuesday for trustee, but two people mounted write-in campaigns, and one was successful in getting elected.

Greg Bennett, was endorsed by both the Democratic and Republican parties. He led all candidates with 87 votes. William Gabalski also was elected with 44 votes as a write-in, nipping Jeff Holler, who had the line Republican line and received 38 votes. Faith Smith was close with 36 write-in votes.