BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie County Board of Elections has announced that the county's votes have been certified and will now be sent to Albany.
According to the county's 2020 Canvass Book, 267,174 votes were cast for President-Elect Joseph Biden, and 197,527 votes were cast for Donald Trump.
Additionally, 8,320 votes were cast for third party presidential candidates, 1,587 ballots were left blank, and 2,179 votes were voided.
In total, 476,787 ballots were cast across Erie County, including the votes cast during early voting and 85,312 absentee ballots. Voter turnout was nearly 75 percent.
There were also 4,641 valid affidavits included in the total. Affidavits are given to voters whose name might not appear in the book at their polling place, but believe they are eligible to vote.
"This has been an unprecedented year for the Erie County Board of Elections," Board of Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr said.
"Logistically and practically, this has been the hardest election season I have witnessed in nearly 30 years at the Board, and I want to thank Commissioner Zellner as well as our our hard-working staff for their diligence and professionalism."
The State Board of Elections in Albany will now also complete the certification of the elections that overlap from Erie County into other counties. These elections include the 26th and 27th congressional districts, the 8th Judicial District, the 61st state Senate District, and the 140th Assembly District.
"The challenges presented by a pandemic during a presidential election were formidable, but our responsibility to administer a fair and open election process was not diminished by circumstances," Board of Elections Commissioner Jeremy Zellner said.
"Commissioner Mohr and I cooperated in true bipartisan fashion to prevent the disenfranchisement of any voter, and the men and women who work at the Board of Elections served the people of Erie County with tremendous distinction," added Zellner.