Election boards in Cayuga, Onondaga counties encouraged by absentee ballot returns – Auburn Citizen

Katie Lacey, the Democratic elections commissioner in Cayuga County, said the local board has received 3,700 absentee ballot applications for the Democratic primaries. They have already received 1,165 ballots from voters, Lacey added. 

The county is on pace to double the number of absentee ballots cast in the presidential primary four years ago. In 2016, the county received 1,898 absentee ballots for the Democratic presidential primary. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring election boards to send absentee ballot applications to every eligible primary voter. He also added the risk of COVID-19 as a temporary illness. To receive an absentee ballot, voters must list an excuse. Temporary illness is one of the excuses voters may use to vote by absentee. 

“I think it’s a good sign that people are interested in voting and they’re taking advantage of the absentee system which I think is also terrific,” Lacey said. 

There are two Democratic primaries in Cayuga County: The statewide presidential primary and the 24th Congressional District primary. There’s also a Republican primary in the 126th Assembly District, which includes part of the county. 

Lacey said GOP voters in Cayuga County have requested 1,434 absentee ballots and 447 have been returned for the Assembly primary. 

As expected, the numbers are much higher in Onondaga County. On Thursday, the county board of elections reported that 29,925 applications have been submitted. So far, voters have returned 10,906 absentee ballots. A vast majority of those ballots are for the Democratic primaries, including the presidential and congressional races. 

Dustin Czarny, who serves as Onondaga County’s Democratic elections commissioner, said the board is still receiving as many as 600 application requests a day. 

“It’s unprecedented, so we don’t know what this means for turnout,” Czarny said. 

It could be an indication that there will be higher turnout for the Democratic congressional primary than two years ago. In 2018, Czarny said turnout was 18%. There were more than 19,000 votes cast by Democrats in Onondaga County. Based on the absentee ballot returns, the county is already halfway to equaling that figure. 

There is a deadline approaching for voters. Absentee ballot applications must be postmarked by June 16. That gives the board time to mail ballots to voters before the June 23 election. 

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by June 23 — primary election day — to be counted.