By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
LITTLE VALLEY — By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, early voting in Cattaraugus County — and across much of the state — was on track to double the number of early voters from the 2020 presidential election.
By 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Cattaraugus County Board of Elections had recorded 3,811 votes at its early voting sites at Jamestown Community College in OIean, 305 N. Barry St., and the former elementary school in Little Valley, 207 Rock City Street.
Compare those early voting numbers to those of four years ago when there were 6,173 votes cast at the two early voting sites — 3,903 at Olean and 2,270 at Little Valley.
The early turnout is on track to double the number of early voters this presidential year with Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump on the ballot.
“The 2020 early voting was during Covid,” noted Democratic Election Commissioner Kevin Burleson. “We’re on day four out of nine,” he added. The turnout this year is higher during the week than on weekends, he added.
Burleson said the Board of Elections had also issued 2,453 absentee and vote early by mail ballots — 1,522 absentees and 828 vote by mail ballots.
Republican Election Commissioner Cortney Spittler, who is overseeing early voting at the Magnano Room of the Cutco Building at JCC in Olean, said more Republican voters seem to be taking advantage of early voting this year.
Of the 3,811 votes tallied through 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, 1,639 voters were registered Republicans, 1,314 were Democrats, 105 were Conservatives, 13 Working Families Party and 740 were blanks, or unaffiliated with any political party.
Early voting continues through Sunday at both the Little Valley and Olean sites.
Voting today (Thursday) and Friday will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday wearl;y voting hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
