BUFFALO, N.Y. — Early voting across New York State is officially done, and the polls won't reopen until Tuesday.
Yet election officials are calling it a historic turnout. The Erie County Board of Elections said 16,513 people cast ballots on Sunday, the final day of the nine-day early voting period.
Overall, nearly 168,000 people — 167,938, to be exact — took advantage of the early voting period, which began on October 24.
Registered voters were able to vote early at any of the 37 locations across Erie County, thanks to the county's universal voting plan, which allows early voters to vote at any site within the county.
The county's Board of Elections estimates that by Tuesday, nearly 40 percent of voters will have already cast ballots in Erie County.
The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Jeremy Zellner is Erie County's Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner. He says massive turnouts and long lines are a clear indication of the importance of the 2020 Election and that this election cycle has been by far the most different.
Zellner says that, compared to other counties, Erie County set up more polling sites than required by the state to ensure all early voters could cast their vote and do so safely.
"On day one of early voting this year, 15,000 people voted early," he said.
Zellner says that despite the historic early voting turnout, the Erie County Board of Elections is still anticipating a huge voter turnout on election day.
“We try to make the election as simple as possible, as open as possible, so that no one is disenfranchised,” he said.
For more information on how you can cast your vote on Election Day or if you’re looking for help finding your polling place, check-in with the Erie County Board of Elections.
