By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
LITTLE VALLEY — Election Day voting will be conducted from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at all 55 Cattaraugus County election districts.
Early voting, which ended Sunday, was about 300 ahead of 2020 totals.
There were 6,473 votes cast at early voting sites in Olean and Little Valley. That amounts to about 12.4% of all 51,787 registered voters. In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, there were 6,173 early voters.
This year’s early voting breakdowns by party showed
2,112 Democrats, 2,797 Republicans, 165 Conservatives,
21 Working Families Party and 1,378 blanks or unaffiliated with any party, according to the Board of Elections.
By the numbers, about 12.4% of the 51,787b enrolled voters in Cattaraugus County participated in early voting this year.
Early voting was up across New York this year — possible the result of more Republicans taking advantage of it than in past years as GOP officials have increasingly urged members to vote early.
The Board of Elections has also issued 2,453 absentees and vote early by mail ballots — 1,522 absentees and 828 vote early by mail ballots, said Democratic Election Commissioner Kevin Burleson.
Voter participation is generally up during presidential elections every four years.
The Nov. 1, party enrollment posted by the New York State Board of Elections shows 13,564 Democrats, 21,655 Republicans, 1,313 Conservatives, 265 Working Families Party members and 12,743 blanks or unaffiliated voters.
After the presidential ballot featuring Vice President Kamala Harrris and former president Donald Trump, Cattaraugus County voters won’t find many contests.
The matchup between Acting Sheriff Eric Butler of Great Valley, a Republican running with Conservative Party endorsement and Democrat Denny “DJ” Whitmore is generating a lot of local interest.
There hasn’t been a contested election for sheriff since 2009 when the late Sheriff Dennis John was challenged by Democrat Kyle Munzert. In subsequent elections, Democrats either cross endorsed the Republican candidate or did not nominate a candidate.
Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-Pendelton, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines in the 23rd Congressional District, is being challenged by Democrat Dan Carle of Fredonia.
In the 1248th Assembly District Democrat Dan Brown of Great Valley and Joe Sempolinski, R-Canisteo are seeking to succeed Assemblyman Joseph Giglio, R-Gowanda, who is retiring after 19 years.
Uncontested elections include: four candidates for four seats on the State Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District, State Sen George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, County Treasurer Matthew Keller, R-Olean and Coroner Bradley Spink, R-Olean.
The city of Olean has three uncontested elections for Common Council: Lawrence Bennion Jr., R-Ward I; Jennifer Forney, R-Ward 3, and John Crawford, D-Ward 5.
And in Salamanca, Mayor Sandra Magiera and all five Council seats are uncontested — John A. Hill, D-Ward 1; Kylee J. Johnson, D-Ward 2; Barry A. Smith, D-Ward 3, and Michael A. Reed, D-Ward 4 — are all running for re-election unopposed. Candidate Paul L. Myers, D-Ward 5, is also unopposed.
