JAMESTOWN – Polls are open across Western New York as voters cast their ballots in the 2020 election.
In Chautauqua County, voters will be tallying several key races, everything from President of the United States to county District Attorney.
Some key races to watch include the New York’s 23rd Congressional District, New York State’s 57th Senate District, New York’s 150th Assembly Seat, Chautauqua County Executive and county District Attorney.
The largest race of the night is likely for President and Vice President where results, which are typically known by the end of the night, will likely take weeks to tally due to an overabundance of absentee ballots cast amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Monday, the Chautauqua County Board of Elections has received nearly 12,000 applications for absentee ballots, with more than 9,000 of the ballots returned.
According to New York State election rules, each ballot must be postmarked no later than Election Day and returned in seven days, when they will be counted.
The second year of early voting is also playing a major role in how people make their voice heard this fall. In the last week, more than 14,000 early votes have been cast.
Comparing stats from the 2016 Presidential Election, local election leaders say nearly 50% of voters have already cast their ballots by either early voting or absentee. With that said, a large turnout is still expected on election day.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 9 p.m. tonight. To learn more about where your voting place is, visit VoteChautauqua.com.
WNY News Now will provide live election coverage all day on WNYNewsNow.com and our 24/7 streaming network. A primetime election special will kickoff at 9 p.m. reporting results as they come in. Viewers can watch LIVE at WNYNewsNow.com/LIVE or our Facebook page.
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