Full coverage: 2021 general election

Voter turnout in Erie County this year appeared to be on track to rival the turnout four years ago, in the last sheriff race.

With 98% of precincts reporting by 11 p.m., nearly 210,000 ballots had been counted in the sheriff's race. Four years ago, 219,067 people voted for sheriff.

But the turnout in this year's four-way race was still far short of the modern record, set in 2005, when 249,689 people voted in Sheriff Timothy Howard's first campaign for the job.

The more than 57,000 votes cast in the Buffalo mayor’s race, with 97% of the vote counted as of 11 p.m., was the highest vote in that race since 2005, the year Byron W. Brown won his first term. That year 73,073 voters cast ballots in the mayor's race.

Byron Brown, considered politically dead by many following his stunning defeat in the June primary for mayor of Buffalo, appears to have resurrected his long career as he claimed victory Tuesday in his bruising write-in campaign against Democratic nominee India Walton.

The growing accumulation of write-in votes point to a significant lead for Brown and the first time any Buffalo mayor has won a fifth term. Walton refused to concede, but that did not stop Brown from proclaiming victory at around 10:30 p.m. to cheers at his Washington Street headquarters.

His victory, he said, was not "just a referendum on the City of Buffalo, it was a referendum on the future of our democracy."

"At the very beginning, they said we can’t win, that it was impossible to win as a write-in,” the mayor shouted to cheering supporters. "But you know, you can never count a Buffalonian out.

"The people chose four more years of the Brown administration," he added. "The people chose one of the greatest comeback stories in our history."

At Main Events Banquet Hall on Main Street, Walton delivered remarks she labeled “definitely not” a concession speech.

“I knew that this was going to be an uphill battle since the beginning," she said. "Every vote needs to be counted. Right now it’s Walton against write-in, whoever that is. I think that who write-in is remains to be seen.”

The flood of write-in votes presumably cast mainly for Brown still faces significant scrutiny and possible challenges by the Walton campaign. But if totals showing a substantial lead for Brown hold, he appears to have clawed back from the night of June 22, when Walton triumphed in a low-turnout primary and his career appeared finished.

But on this election night, a far different outcome appears to loom for Brown. After taking the formerly little-known former nurse and community activist for granted in the primary, he retooled his political machine in an all-out effort touting his 16-year record and bore down on Walton as an avowed democratic socialist.

The mayor, appearing re-energized by his "Write Down Byron Brown" write-in campaign, thanked them for the high-energy effort he eschewed during the primary and promised the progress he claimed through his first four terms would continue into his fifth.

For Walton, 39, Tuesday's results may have ended her attempt to become Buffalo's first woman mayor – seemingly assured after the primary triumph in June. Back then she vowed her forces would be "coming after" council members and other established Democrats who had failed to recognize her appeal – a threat that failed to deter a host of Democrats eventually supporting her campaign.

On Tuesday, she told supporters that the kind of Democratic politics she embraces can still prove viable in a city like Buffalo.

Throughout the summer and fall in a rare energetic general election mayoral campaign, Walton promised new ways of doing business in City Hall that would cut out big donors and developers while supporting grassroots programs for the city's poor. She also said she would enact a small tax increase and cut funding to the Police Department by $7.5 million – both viciously attacked by the mayor.

Brown, meanwhile, ridiculed her claims of building houses in the Fruit Belt as an executive director of a neighborhood land trust. His campaign literature pointed to news reports that major backers had pulled their support because of her inexperience.

Now, at 63, Brown appears to have pulled off a most unlikely comeback. Political observers had cited write-in victories by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in 2010 and Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit in 2013 as templates for victory, but no one can recall similar success of such magnitude in New York State. After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a minor party line over the summer, Brown turned to a campaign of education surrounding his write-in bid.

Along with traditional ads and speeches touting his record, Brown showed voters – most of whom had never before entered a write-in name – how to master the process. Indeed, though various polls during the general election campaign showed him leading, few campaign experts expressed confidence in their accuracy because of the uncertainties surrounding the write-in process.

Unlike his primary campaign, he directly engaged his opponent and sought the face-to-face debates that he earlier rejected. Eventually, the pair met twice.

Throughout his campaign, the mayor was humbled as former Democratic allies deserted in droves. After a semi-enthusiastic endorsement by the Erie County Democratic organization last winter, Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner bestowed the party nod on Walton as the official nominee of the party following her primary victory.

Others followed, including Sen. Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, followed by liberal icon Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Bronx, who campaigned with her in Buffalo on Oct. 23.

Only a few old allies – such as Assembly Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams and Councilmembers Christopher P. Scanlon, Ulysses O. Wingo Sr. and Joseph Golombek Jr. remained with Brown. A new supporter and expected gubernatorial contender – Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi of Nassau County – was also thanked by the mayor in his remarks. 

Following are unofficial tallies of votes counted on election night, which include early vote and Election Day tallies. They do not include absentee ballots.

Byron Brown declares victory over India Walton in wild write-in campaign

See election results for: Erie County sheriff

See complete results from Erie County races at the Erie County Board of Elections unofficial results. 

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What’s included in election night results?

County boards of election handle three types of ballots and count them at different times. Here’s when each type gets counted:

• Early voting: Ballots cast at early voting sites are counted on election night and are included in election day tallies.
• Election Day ballots: Ballots cast at polling sites on Tuesday are counted Tuesday night.
• Mail-in absentees: Absentee ballots mailed in or dropped off at polling sites will be counted as a later date.

When she toppled four-term Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic primary in June, India B. Walton showed herself to be one confident democratic socialist.

“This victory is ours, and it’s the first of many," she said. "If you are in an elected office right now, you are being put on notice. We are coming.”

By "we," Walton meant democratic socialists like her were coming for establishment Democrats in Buffalo and beyond. 

But did Walton really help her cause that night? Or did she sabotage it?

The results of Tuesday's election – which showed the number of write-in ballots outstripping the number of votes for Walton by 18 percentage points or so – boded well for the write-in mayor, Byron W. Brown.

And some political pros said the seeds of Walton's disappointing performance were those she sowed on primary night and in the weeks afterwards, when she failed to broaden her base of support beyond the most progressive of progressives.

Instead, some political insiders said last week that Walton did just the opposite of what she should have done. She alienated established Democratic council members and others who could have helped her, but who instead happily joined Brown's write-in campaign.

Among those enraged by Walton's primary-night statement was Masten District Council Member Ulysees O. Wingo.

"It's not good for you as a novice neophyte freshman elected official in any capacity to think that you have the the capacity to come after a (Council President) Darius Pridgen or a Ulysees Wingo or a (Assembly Majority Leader) Crystal Peoples-Stokes," Wingo said. "How dare you make these statements?"

Byron Brown declares victory over India Walton in wild write-in campaign

History was made in the Buffalo mayoral election Tuesday, just not the one that seemed destined five months ago.

North District Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr., a centrist, is no natural ally of Walton's. But he, too, took her "we are coming" comments seriously.

"I think that she spoke the truth, which is what her fringe organization desires: a very, very left-wing, everything in the city and in the region," Golombek said.

But in doing so, Walton didn't take the traditional path of traditional primary winners: reaching out to the loser's supporters to try to unify the party.

Voter turnout strong in Erie County, but not record-setting

With 98% of precincts reporting by 11 p.m., nearly 210,000 ballots had been counted in the sheriff's race. Four years ago, 219,067 people voted for sheriff.

"I think she should have reached out on primary night," Golombek said. "She didn't. "And I think that she let the cat out of the bag: what her real intentions are."

But Walton's failed efforts to broaden her support go beyond her primary night comments.

Her coming failure could be seen in a campaign that, according to some observers, remained an undisciplined, undirected effort for weeks after the primary – weeks in which Brown dominated the discussion with his write-in bid and an ill-fated but much-publicized effort to get his name on the ballot under the newly created "Buffalo Party" banner.

And it could be seen in a campaign that often seemed more comfortable preaching to the choir rather than seeking converts. She attracted the same faces to rallies all over the city where she repeated the same message she had preached for months: that she was a different kind of Democrat.

"It's never going to work if we just keep electing Democrats who are beholden to the lobby, to the corporations," she said to a tent full of her fellow travelers in South Buffalo in mid-October. "Who would have thought that in the sleepy City of Buffalo, where nothing exciting ever happens, that we would be the epicenter of the rising of the working class."

Mayor's race: Byron Brown says election returns show 'one of the greatest comebacks in our history'

Brown celebrates returns with supporters. "We couldn't have done this without you," mayor tells cheering crowd.

Except they weren't that. In working-class South Buffalo, write-in votes outnumbered those for Walton by more than 5 to 1.

"You know, there's a lot of police officers that live in this community," said South District Council Member Christopher P. Scanlon, an ardent Brown supporter. "And for the better part of all last year, Miss Walton was walking around yelling through a blowhorn to defund the police ... It makes people uncomfortable."

In other words, Walton never worked to meld her vision of the working class with the reality of Buffalo's working class – a diverse polyglot of city employees and immigrants, factory workers and gig workers, baristas and barkeeps who don't necessarily agree on much of anything politically.

But even if she never reached out to all of that diverse polyglot, there's no doubt she thinks that in her heart, she's right. 

Refusing to concede her apparent defeat Tuesday night, she said: "I will continue to fight for everyday Buffalonians who are struggling to make ends meet."

India Walton received just over half of the votes cast in the Niagara, Ellicott and Masten districts in Buffalo's mayoral race.

In the South District, though, she received only one in six votes.

On this map, the city council districts where Walton ran strongest are in darker colors. Those where she ran weakest are in lighter colors. Scroll over the map to see the vote totals.

[RELATED: Byron Brown claims victory in Buffalo mayor's race; write-in ballots swamp India Walton]

[RELATED: Analysis: India Walton failed to broaden support beyond her primary base]

History was made in the Buffalo mayoral election Tuesday, just not the one that seemed destined five months ago.

Mayor Byron Brown is the likely winner of an unprecedented fifth four-year term, almost certainly becoming the first person to achieve that distinction while also becoming the first write-in candidate to win a citywide election. He declared victory shortly after 10:30 p.m.

With 96% of precincts reporting their results from Tuesday's voting, along with nearly all early voting, Walton had 40.9% of the vote. But that meant 59.04% of the votes were write-ins – most of which are likely for Brown, who waged a fierce write-in campaign.

“We couldn’t have done this without you,” Brown said to cheering supporters at his campaign headquarters.

“This has been a remarkable journey that we’ve been on together for the past four and a half months,” Brown said. “It hasn’t been easy – far from it – but it’s been worth it.”

He retained his position by holding off India Walton, who shocked him and the city’s political establishment by besting Brown in a June Democratic primary, running as a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. If Walton had won, she would have become the first female mayor in the city’s history.

The election drew attention from around the nation and clearly had the same effect on Buffalo voters.

But not all of them showed up at polling places.

Walton's tally trailed the number of write-ins by more than 10,000 votes.

2021 general election results: Buffalo mayor

Following are unofficial tallies of votes counted on election night, which include early vote and Election Day tallies. They do not include absentee ballots.

 

Walton had only 34.51% of the votes among those who voted early. Meanwhile, some 65.49% of the votes were write-ins.

That means the eight-day early voting period put Walton 4,737 votes behind the combined number of write-in votes.

"I knew this was going to be an uphill battle," Walton told reporters late Tuesday. Walton did not concede but appeared to acknowledge the numbers were not in her favor.

Write-in votes will not be counted until later this month, so election night totals showed only how many people voted for Walton, how many appeared to cast write-in ballots correctly and how many appeared to cast write-in votes incorrectly.

Walton on Tuesday night said she wanted all votes to be closely counted, so it is possible her campaign will challenge any improperly cast ballot.

"Every vote needs to be counted," she said. "Right now it’s Walton against write-in, whoever that is. I think that who write-in is remains to be seen."

There are also two other, far lesser-known write-in candidates: Ben Carlisle and Jaz Miles.

Republican John C. Garcia was clinging to a slim lead in the race for Erie County sheriff late Tuesday, but the outcome remained too close to call. A clear winner will emerge only after a potential 19,000 absentee ballots are counted in coming days.

Garcia, the candidate endorsed by departing Sheriff Timothy B. Howard and a slew of police unions, produced strong results, even with two other Republican-leaning candidates draining him of votes. He led Democrat Kimberly Beaty by around 6,000 votes after the vast majority of ballots were counted late in the evening.

Though Beaty refused to concede, Garcia took the microphone at his gathering in Grand Island and talked like the victor. "I look forward to protecting and serving all citizens, the people of Erie County for the next four years," he said.

This much was certain: The next Erie County sheriff will be a veteran of the Buffalo Police Department. Garcia, 59, of Grand Island, retired after a career as a detective with the homicide and narcotics units. He now owns a stake in a private security firm. Beaty, 58, of Lancaster, retired as the deputy police commissioner. She is the director of public safety at Canisius College, her alma mater.

The trio of candidates on the Republican side, and the heavy turnout expected in Buffalo's Democratic strongholds, were to give Democrats their best chance in decades to win the Sheriff's Office. The sheriff of upstate New York's most populous county commands a budget of more than $110 million a year and directs more than 1,000 employees. But Democrats did not have their day, at least not on Tuesday.

So the saga, which began almost a year ago with a crowded field of candidates, continues.

On the Democratic side, the party’s leadership early this year settled on Brian J. Gould, who at the time was the assistant police chief in Cheektowaga. Beaty expressed interest, withdrew when party leaders endorsed Gould, then jumped back in at the urging of a party faction.

When Beaty won the primary in June, Gould withdrew and the party united behind a candidate who could still become the first woman and the first person of color to serve as Erie County sheriff. But if the absentees follow the pattern identified in the votes cast so far, Garcia wins.

Over on Republican turf, Buffalo police retiree Karen Healy-Case was given the pole position when the Conservative Party endorsed her. Republican leaders followed suit. Garcia, encouraged to run by departing Howard and the sheriff who preceded him, State Sen. Patrick Gallivan, triggered a primary. He trounced Healy-Case, unscathed by her ads alleging he was not enough of a conservative, or a Republican, or a Donald J. Trump admirer for right-leaning voters.

Garcia's primary win split the traditional Republican-Conservative axis that has helped deliver the Sheriff’s Office to a Republican since 1997. Healy-Case remained on the Conservative line even though she eventually stopped campaigning and threw her support to Beaty.

Also on the Republican side was Ted DiNoto, a detective lieutenant with the Amherst Police Department who, while a Republican, chose to run on an independent line.

Together, DiNoto and Healy-Case took just under 10% of the votes counted Tuesday evening.

Following are unofficial tallies of votes counted on election night, which include early vote and Election Day tallies. They do not include absentee ballots.

Election highlights live blog: GOP has a big night in Niagara County, except in NT mayoral race

See elections for: Buffalo mayor

Mayor's race: Byron Brown says election returns show 'one of the greatest comebacks in our history'

See complete results from Erie County races at the Erie County Board of Elections unofficial results. 

***

What’s included in election night results?

County boards of election handle three types of ballots and count them at different times. Here’s when each type gets counted:

• Early voting: Ballots cast at early voting sites are counted on election night and are included in election day tallies.
• Election Day ballots: Ballots cast at polling sites on Tuesday are counted Tuesday night.
• Mail-in absentees: Absentee ballots mailed in or dropped off at polling sites will be counted as a later date.

In the hard-fought battle for the Erie County comptroller's seat, Democrat Kevin Hardwick defeated Republican-endorsed Lynne Dixon.

"Thank you to my campaign team, my family, and most of all, the voters of Erie County who chose to vote for integrity and good government today," Hardwick said after his victory. "I look forward to serving as your next Erie County comptroller and bringing back the respect it deserves."

Hardwick, a former Republican, is a 4th District county legislator and City of Tonawanda resident who ran on a platform of "culture change" in the Comptroller's Office. It's the first time that an elected comptroller and the county executive are members of the same party since 2005.

Dixon, a Village of Hamburg resident, works as an associate deputy comptroller in the Erie County Comptroller's Office under Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw, who ran for Hamburg town supervisor.

Erie County comptroller's race is always about politics. This year, it could turn on messaging

With two candidates who have name recognition and political and mass media experience, the campaign is becoming a case study in political science and targeted advertising.

Both waged aggressive campaigns for the comptroller's seat, with Dixon focusing more on direct mail to reach voters, and Hardwick funneling money into TV and radio campaign spots.

Hardwick, 64, carried Democratic and Working Families party endorsements. A longtime political science professor at Canisius College, Hardwick was elected to the county Legislature in 2009. Before switching parties in 2018, he also hosted a Sunday political talk show called "Hardline with Hardwick" on WBEN radio.

He stressed his educational background, which includes a concentration in public policy from SUNY Binghamton. The Comptroller's Office should be a hub for independent policy analysis and shared services studies, not a springboard for attacking political opponents, he said.

Outgoing Erie County comptroller looms large in race between Hardwick and Dixon

Both Republican candidate Lynne Dixon and Democratic County Legislator Kevin Hardwick have accused their opponents of making self-serving political deals that restrict their ability to be truly independent financial watchdogs.

Dixon, 56, is a member of the Independence Party and carried Republican and Conservative party endorsements. She gained name recognition as a reporter for 12 years with WGRZ before being elected to the Legislature in 2009, the same year as Hardwick. A former 9th District legislator, she ran unsuccessfully for county executive in 2019.

Dixon said she knows how the Comptroller's Office functions and is a strong believer in checks and balances in county government, especially given a Democratic county executive. She was the first to release a 25-point platform agenda in July.

The Erie County Legislature will spend another two years in Democratic hands as a result of Tuesday's election, but with one race still too close to call, it is unsettled whether the Republican-supported minority caucus managed to close the gap.

The Legislature has a 7-4 Democratic majority, but in the two most contested races, only one was clearly decided. The race between 9th District Democratic incumbent John Gilmour and Republican challenger Frank Bogulski narrowed considerably over the course of the night. Democratic Legislator Jeanne Vinal won re-election to a second term in the 5th district.

Those were the two actively contested County Legislature races that could have swung the party majority. The 5th District seat, won by Vinal, is in Amherst. The 9th District seat, currently held by Gilmour, covers South Buffalo, Lackawanna and the Town of Hamburg. It is held by a Democratic incumbent.

The Republican Party devoted the bulk of its resources to trying to unseat Gilmour. Prior to the Democrat taking office two years ago, his seat was held by Lynne Dixon, an Independence Party member who affiliated herself with the Republican-supported minority caucus.

Gilmour faced Bogulski, a fellow Hamburg lawyer who previously ran for Hamburg town justice. With that district encompassing both city and suburban communities, it was this year's battleground seat for both parties.

Only a few dozen votes separate the two contenders, though Gilmour said he's confident of victory because the absentee ballots returned so far represented roughly 2-to-1 Democratic voters.

Election highlights live blog: GOP has a big night in Niagara County, except in NT mayoral race

Follow us here for up-to-date coverage of election results across Erie and Niagara counties.

"I ran a campaign of honesty and integrity," Gilmour said Tuesday night. "Truth prevailed."

Bogulski said he's still confident. 

"I’ve worked very hard for the taxpayers and voters of the 9th District," he said. "I'm confident I'm going to win this race."

The Amherst race had incumbent legislator Vinal, a lawyer, campaigning to keep her heavily Democratic Amherst seat after her first term in office. She faced challenger Rich Wilkinson, an auto dealership general manager running for public office for the first time and the only non-lawyer in actively contested Legislature races.

Hamburg Democrat Randy Hoak beat back an attempt by his GOP opponent, Erie County Comptroller Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr., to tie him to progressive policies of the Working Families Party.

Hoak won election to the seat once held by his late father, Patrick H. Hoak.

Democrats picked up a Town Board seat, with Republican incumbent Beth Farrell and Democrat Megan A. Comerford winning over incumbent Republican Board Member Michael Petrie, Democrat Carly Whalen Story and Conservative Amy McKnight. 

Edward S. Hughes, a longtime worker in the Highway Department, won the highway superintendent's race. Republican Anthony Bernardi, was second and incumbent Ted Casey, running on a minor party line, was a distant third. 

Alden

Voters reversed course from their 2009 vote to reduce the size of the Town Board from five to three, and decided to add two more council seats, effective Jan. 1, 2023. 

Republican Brett A. Sitzman beat incumbent Supervisor Dean W. Adamski, and Republican incumbent Town Clerk Alecia E. Barrett coasted to victory over Conservative Leeza M. Brown for re-election.

Amherst

Democratic incumbent Brian J. Kulpa easily defeated Republican challenger Jay DiPasquale to win a second term as Amherst supervisor in a race where development loomed as a central issue.

Democratic Town Board member Shawn Lavin handily won a second term but the race for the second seat was too close to call and awaits the counting of absentee ballots. GOP challenger Ray Herman had a narrow lead over Councilwoman Jacqualine Berger with Republican Dan Rider trailing well behind.

Cheektowaga 

Republican Michael C. Jasinski was the top vote-getter for three Town Board seats, and incumbent Democrat Brian M. Nowak was second.

The race was too close to call for the third seat, between incumbent Democrat Brian N. Pilarski and Republican Vernon S. Thompson.

Democrat Stanley J. Kaznowski III was fifth and Eileen O. Ebner, who suspended her campaign after discovering that accepting the $20,000 annual board salary would jeopardize benefits she receives, was sixth.

Lancaster

Adam Dickman, subject of controversy for a video he recorded at the Village of Lancaster Public Works Department, won re-election to the Lancaster Town Board.

Dickman, a Republican and Conservative, will be joined on the Town Board by newcomer Mark Burkhard, who also ran with GOP and Conservative backing. They defeated the endorsed Democrats, incumbent Councilman Michael Wozniak Jr., and challenger Paul Rudz, flipping control of the Town Board to the GOP.

Orchard Park

Republicans will remain in control of the Orchard Park Town Board with the election of Town Board Member Eugene L. Majchrzak as supervisor and three Council members.

Majchrzak, will lead an upsized board of five members with the addition of two Council positions. Democrat Daniel Teplesky, a retired school superintendent, lost his bid to lead the town. 

Republicans Joseph C. Liberti and Julia C. Mombrea beat Democrats Michael B. Risman and Mary M. Penn for the four-year seats. Republican Scott Honer beat former Democratic Supervisor Janis A. Colarusso for the two-year term. 

City of Tonawanda

Democratic Mayor Rick Davis, a polarizing figure in the city, was beaten nearly 2-1 by GOP businessman John White in his bid for a third term.

In addition, GOP First Ward Councilman Thomas Newman handily won re-election over Democrat Gerald Frizzell; Democratic Councilwoman Dawn Kammerdeiner was badly beaten by Republican Carl Nocera in the Second Ward; Democratic Councilman Sean Rautenstrauch beat the GOP's Frank Corbett in the Third Ward; and Democratic Councilman David Mileham defeated Republican Steve Walter in the Fourth Ward.

Town of Tonawanda

Democrats were all but assured of sweeping the three Tonawanda Town Board races. Councilwomen Jill O'Malley and Shannon Patch were well on their way to winning re-election and fellow Democrat Gina Santa Maria has won an open board seat.

They beat back three Republican candidates who tried to make issues out of public safety and the business climate: Stephen Brown, Scott Marciszewski and Caren Paterniti.

ALBANY – New Yorkers Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to enact new – if vague – protections for the environment, enshrining in the state constitution a right to a “healthful environment," which backers say is crucial to positioning the state against worsening climate change woes.

The proposal, one of five to go before voters statewide, was comfortably ahead as votes came in Tuesday night. Also easily passing: a measure to try to ease civil case backlogs in the state court system.

But three other measures seemed on the way to rejection in the face of fierce opposition by Republican and Conservative party officials.

Those proposals would have changed measures voters approved just a decade ago, regarding the state legislative and congressional redistricting process. The other two defeated measures would have paved the way for an Election Day voter registration process and eased the process for which New Yorkers can vote via absentee ballots.

The proposals that passed were:

Proposal 2: This inserts new language into the state constitution giving all New Yorkers the right to “clean air and water, and a healthful environment.”

Democrats in the Legislature and environmentalists say the proposal was a no-brainer, and that such protections, especially given climate change, are a fundamental right for residents.

But opponents were concerned the wording of the proposal is so vague it would represent an invitation for a stampede of lawsuits on any number of minor and major environmental matters.

Proposal 5: It will double to $50,000 the jurisdictional limit of claims brought before the New York City civil court system – a plan to relieve backlogs in the state court system.

The three that seemed on the way to defeat late Tuesday were:

Proposal 1: This was the most wide-ranging item, containing more than a dozen constitutional amendment changes.

The chief controversy was provisions that would erode the participation of the minority parties in the once-a-decade redistricting process when boundary lines for congressional and state legislative districts are redrawn following the U.S. census. With the proposal, Republicans, already relegated to the status of powerless against the supermajorities in the state Legislature, fear the redistricting process risks being controlled by Democrats for generations.

Proposal 3: It would codify in the state constitution what is already in statute: eliminating the minimum 10-day advance requirement for residents to register to vote.

The proposal would almost certainly lead Democrats in the two houses, possibly as early as 2022, to then enact a law permitting voters to register as late as Election Day.

Proposal 4: It would authorize “no-excuse” absentee ballot voting, a route New York permitted for the first time during Covid in the 2020 elections.

Currently, a resident wishing to vote via a paper absentee ballot must attest that they will either be absent from their home county on Election Day, or for such reasons as being ill or having a physical disability that keeps them from going to the polls to vote in person. The proposal will no longer require a specific reason.

Backers say it would boost voter participation, while critics note problems in the 2020 elections with local boards having trouble verifying absentee ballots that were distributed.

 In a contest between veteran City of Lockport attorneys, Niagara County voters chose Republican John J. Ottaviano as the new County Court judge Tuesday.

His win was part of a strong night for the GOP, which may have added two seats to its County Legislature majority and won two of three Niagara Falls Council seats.

But Austin J. Tylec was the Democrats' brightest spot, winning the North Tonawanda mayoral race.

Ottaviano defeated Democrat Michael E. Benedict, who lost a County Court race for the second consecutive year.

Last year Benedict, a former public defender and confidential law clerk to retired County Judge Sara Sheldon, lost to Caroline A. Wojtaszek.

Ottaviano, who is now first assistant county attorney, spent 25 years as City of Lockport corporation counsel. This was his first run for elected office, and voters gave him roughly a 60%-to-40% margin.

North Tonawanda

Tylec was elected mayor of the Lumber City at age 29, succeeding the retiring Arthur G. Pappas.

He was the only Democratic winner. Republicans won every Council race and the clerk-treasurer position.

But Tylec, who won an alderman at large race in 2017, continued to show his vote-getting ability.

Tylec, the son of former County Legislature Chairman John S. Tylec, defeated the GOP's Robert E. Pecoraro, an alderman at large since 2015.

Pecoraro, 63, a retired Air Force colonel, also lost a bid for an Assembly seat last year.

He and Tylec jousted over last year's state audit that reported the city's cash reserves were dwindling and predicted the city would run into cash flow issues.

Pecoraro contended that the audit was a "political hit job" because State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli attended a Tylec fundraiser in June.

However, DiNapoli's spokeswoman denied the audit was politically motivated, and Pappas' formal response to the audit last year did not contest its findings.

Niagara Falls

The Republican team of David J. Zajac and Traci L. Bax finished 1-2 in the City Council race, while Democrat Donta L. Myles, the only Black candidate in the race, won the third seat.

Also-rans were Democrats James M. Abbondanza and Colin G. Ligammari and James M. Perry, a Democrat running on an independent line.

Niagara Falls elects its council in a citywide race instead of using districts or wards, as most local cities do.

None of the incumbent councilmen ran for re-election. Two of them, Democrat William Kennedy II and Republican Christopher P. Voccio, ended up running against each other for the 6th District County Legislature seat.

Voccio had a 14-vote lead in that race, with 91 absentee ballots awaiting counting.

If Voccio holds on, the Republicans will have a 12-3 edge in the Legislature, as Richard E. Abbott, a Working Families Party member with GOP backing, ousted Democrat Anita Mullane in Lockport's 13th District.

The GOP won all but one Lockport Council seat. In the 1st Ward, Democrat Paul Beakman led Republican John Craig by 1 vote, with 43 absentee ballots received so far.

Hamburg Democrat Randy Hoak beat back an attempt by his opponent, Erie County Comptroller Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr., to tie him to progressive policies of the Working Families Party.

Hoak, a Democrat, won election to the seat once held by his late father, Patrick H. Hoak. Randy Hoak’s sister, Karen, also is a member of the Town Board.

Mychajliw's strategy was to focus on senior citizens and Democrats.

“I’ve always won races with strong Democratic support,” Mychajliw, a Republican, said. “These are not India Walton socialists in Hamburg. These are conservative Democrats.”

Hoak's strategy was to turn out his voters, and it worked. 

“The key in this campaign is getting everybody out there,” he said.

Democrats picked up a seat on the Town Board, with Republican incumbent Beth Farrell and Democrat Megan A. Comerford winning over incumbent Republican Board Member Michael Petrie, Democrat Carly Whalen Story and Conservative Amy McKnight.

Edward S. Hughes, a longtime worker in the Highway Department, won the highway superintendent's race. Republican Anthony Bernardi, owner of Tony's Construction and Repair, was second. Incumbent Ted Casey, running on a minor party line, was a distant third.

Olean Mayor William J. Aiello, a Republican, won reelection by a nearly 3-to-1 margin Tuesday, defeating Gary W. Harvey Jr., a candidate on minor party lines, according to the Cattaraugus County Board of Elections.

Unofficial totals showed Aiello with 1,411 votes to Harvey’s 493.

In City Council races, incumbent Republican Jason M. Panus defeated Kristin Hinson 246-82 in the Second Ward; Democrat Sonya M. McCall won a three-way race in the Fourth Ward, receiving 137 votes while Linda M. Edstrom had 100 and Ezra L. Johnson gathered 10; and incumbent Democrat Vernon Robinson Jr. defeated Republican Nicholas A. Peterson in the Sixth Ward 165-119. Incumbent Seventh Ward Alderman David J. Anastasia, a Democrat, was unopposed.

In balloting for countywide offices, District Attorney Lori P. Rieman and Sheriff Timothy S. Whitcomb were unopposed.

Republicans will remain in control of the Orchard Park Town Board with the election of Eugene L. Majchrzak as supervisor and three Council members.

Majchrzak, a councilman for 12 years, will lead an upsized board of five members with the addition of two Council positions. Democrat Daniel Teplesky, a retired school superintendent, lost his bid to lead the town.

Republicans Joseph C. Liberti and Julia C. Mombrea beat Democrats Michael B. Risman and Mary M. Penn for the four-year seats. Republican Scott Honer beat former Democratic Supervisor Janis A. Colarusso for the two-year term.

Voter turnout in Erie County this year appeared to be on track to rival the turnout four years ago, in the last sheriff race.

With 98% of precincts reporting by 11 pm, nearly 210,000 ballots had been counted in the sheriff's race. Four years ago, 219,067 people voted for sheriff.

But the turnout in this year's four-way race was still far short of the modern record, set in 2005, when 249,689 people voted in Sheriff Timothy Howard's first campaign for the job.

The more than 57,000 votes cast in the Buffalo mayor’s race, as of 11 p.m., was the highest vote in that race since 2005, the year Mayor Byron W. Brown won his first term. That year 73,073 voters cast ballots in the mayor's race.

Lafayette High School on Buffalo's West Side saw a steady stream of voters Tuesday that, at points, exceeded the number of available voting booths. Voters waited in a basement hallway while volunteers for the Brown and Walton campaigns stood in a stiff breeze on the sidewalk outside, brandishing signs at passing motorists.

More than 425 people had voted as of 12:30 p.m.

Voters also were showing up at Buffalo polling sites at a brisk pace through the morning.

The Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church polling site in South Buffalo also drew a steady flow of voters during the morning hours that slowed by early afternoon. The church’s parking lot was full throughout the morning, and a line of voters began forming in the basement by 10:30 a.m. That site had 425 voters by 1:20 p.m.

Yet other polling places around the city saw only a trickle of voters.

Jeremy Zellner, the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Committee who is also the Democratic commissioner for the Erie County Board of Elections, put out an urgent tweet midday.

"Attention Democrats: voter turnout is very low across the County. Make your voice heard and get to the polls by 9pm!" he said.

After four months of one of the most bitter and strange campaigns Buffalo has experienced, early turnout was uneven across the city, at least in the earlier part of the day.

At the Delavan-Grider Community Center in the Masten District, turnout was light all morning and into the afternoon. Mayor Byron Brown, the four-term incumbent who lost the Democratic primary to self-described democratic socialist India Walton, was relying on his home district to shore up his tally.

Mizanur Mizan voted for Byron Brown. "Walton doesn't have much experience," he said. "She might be ready next time."

Supporters for Walton also showed up at the voting location.

"Byron Brown needs to get out of office," Brandi Hill said. "He hasn't done nothing in 16 years. He comes in the inner city only after someone is dead. He doesn't come here to prevent violence. I feel like India might bring some actual change to the community."  

Across town in the Niagara District, a Walton stronghold, Christina Polino was excited to fill in the oval on her ballot for Walton at the polling place inside D'Youville Porter Campus School on Niagara Street.

"We believe in what she stands for and we believe in progressive values, and we think it's time for this city to make some changes," Polino said.

Not so for Kristen Coleman, who prefers the mayor. "He's been here so long and he has made a change for the city, and done a lot of good," Coleman said.

At Lafayette High, drivers honked and fist-pumped at Brandon Stewart, a Walton volunteer who had been twirling and bobbing his sign since 9 a.m. in a sort of shuffling Election Day dance. Stewart voted for Walton because he believed her policies would most benefit renters and the working class, he said.

Around the corner, volunteers for the Brown campaign said only two or three of the “dozens and dozens” of voters they spoke with had come to the polls undecided.

“It’s an important election,” said Lynn Williams, a Brown supporter. “Most people have made up their minds already and are just here to vote.”

Walton also visited the school shortly after noon as part of a whirlwind, citywide tour of polling places that started at 6 a.m.

“I’m feeling good,” she said, of the morning’s turnout. “It’s hard to get a sense, because it’s only midday – so we’re waiting for the lunch rush.”

South Buffalo

Jackie Nelson said she’s never missed an election, and she and her husband, Craig, showed up around 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church polling site to vote for Brown.

Nelson said she tends to lean liberal, and she doesn’t have any trouble with the democratic socialist tag pinned on challenger Walton, who won the Democratic primary over Brown.

But Nelson said she had too many reservations about Walton’s past and wants to see “our city continue to move forward” under the current mayor.

“I wish Byron would have worked to get people out in the primary. Then we wouldn’t be in this position,” said Nelson.

Brown will be counting heavily on South Buffalo voters like Nelson, who said she had no difficulty writing in the mayor’s name on her ballot.

Brown supporters stood outside the polling site handing out plastic bags with a pen and rubber stamp, but Nelson said she didn’t need it.

“I just wrote it in,” she said.

Walton supporters acknowledged South Buffalo would be an uphill challenge. Walton volunteer Alaina Tabor wrapped herself in a blanket to ward off the chill as she tried to encourage voters outside the church. Tabor said just four Walton supporters had approached her during the time she was there, while many voters had walked up to a team of Brown supporters to inquire about the stamps and pens.

At St. Martin of Tours Church on Abbott Road in South Buffalo, a late-morning rush of voters slowed to a crawl by 2 p.m.

Elmwood Village

Walton volunteers appeared to outnumber Brown volunteers at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, where 755 people had voted as of 1:35 p.m. Traffic was steady all day, one veteran election inspector said, aside from a spike around lunch. It was difficult to evaluate the turnout versus past elections, she added, because the church is a polling place for six districts.

At the two entrances to the church’s front walkway, on Elmwood Avenue and West Ferry Street, Brown volunteers clustered near blue signs reading “Get Your Byron Brown Stamps Here!!” A few yards away, Walton volunteers danced to the music from passing cars and pointed voters toward the church entrance.

North Buffalo

Voter traffic at St. Mark School in Parkside was so steady throughout the morning and early afternoon that a group of neighborhood kids set up a coffee and doughnut stand across the street on Woodward Avenue. As of 3 p.m., more than 784 people had voted – and the kids had made more than $100, said Ti Markle, the mother of 9-year-old Sia and 11-year-old Aydan. Markle said she was waiting for a sustained lull in business to go vote herself.

“They’ve been busy since they came out at 9:30,” she said. “I just put another pot of coffee on for them.”

Earlier Tuesday, in the fenced parking lot of the North Buffalo Community Development Corporation on Sanders Road, four volunteers from the Brown campaign faced off with two volunteers for Walton.

The Delaware District marks a major battleground in the mayoral contest, and one that Walton won by almost a 2-to-1 margin during the low-turnout primary election.

Brown volunteers handed out water bottles and bagged, self-inking stamps, showing voters where to place Brown’s name on a sample ballot. Of the 116 voters who had cast ballots by 10:30 a.m., several approached with concerns about how and where to write in their choice for mayor, said Deb Mueller, a Brown campaign volunteer. Others asked if they could keep the stamps as an election souvenir.

Laurie Buonanno, a Brown campaigner and a professor of political science at SUNY Buffalo State, credited the mayor’s support in North Buffalo to Brown’s record and the organization of his re-election campaign, which has deployed teams of canvassers and phone-bankers across the Delaware District, and the city, in recent weeks.

“I think in Buffalo we are moderates, and I think that we're the soul of the Democratic Party,” she said. “And I think that this campaign has been run brilliantly.”

Across the driveway, Anne Doebler and Michael Mottern – who arrived before voting started at 6 a.m. – waved a Walton sign and gulped from Tim Hortons cups as they waited for more voters to trickle in. Mottern, a resident of Kenmore who also picketed for Walton during early voting, said he can almost always guess if a voter will wave back to him or Brown’s cluster of volunteers. Older voters gravitate to the Brown campaign, he said; young people and “Elmwood Village people” – liberal, upper-middle class, college-educated voters – respond to Walton.

“We might be outnumbered here,” Mottern said. “But every time someone says ‘no thank you’ to Mayor Brown’s people, that's another person that we're chiseling away at.”

Hamburg

The pace of voting also quickened by midmorning in the Town of Hamburg, where a supervisor’s race was at the forefront of many voters’ minds.

“I got tired of seeing all the attack ads,” said John McCartney, a village resident who voted at the Hamburg Community Center with his dog, Boo, a Belgian Malinois.

At 9 a.m., just 38 people had turned out to vote at the community center. But a flurry of voters showed up shortly after.

Poll worker Greg Gibbs said early voting turnout at the Moose Lodge had been strong, so he didn’t expect many people on Tuesday.

“I thought we’d be slow to be honest,” said Gibbs.

Hallmark Wesleyan Church in Hamburg was even busier.

“It’s not like the old days when we had a line at the door before we open. We had one person at 6 a.m.,” said elections inspector Mark Jones.

Jones said turnout appeared strong, especially considering that 2,796 people already had cast early ballots over nine days at the Moose Lodge in Hamburg.

[Erie County sheriff's race results | Buffalo mayor's race results]

[Live coverage from the campaign trail in mayor's race]

As of 10 p.m., the Republicans were having a big night in Niagara County.

The GOP looked like it had a chance to up its County Legislature majority from 10-5 to 12-3. Richard E. Abbott, a Working Families member with GOP support, routed incumbent Democrat Anita Mullane in Lockport's 13th District, while in the 6th District in Niagara Falls, the GOP's Christopher P. Voccio has a 14-vote lead over Democcrat William Kennedy II, with 91 absentee ballots to settle the issue.

Shawn Foti routed Democrat Sarah Beilein Capen in the 14th District, capping off a sweet night for the Republicans.

Their ticket of David Zajac and Traci Bax had two of the three top positions for the three available Niagara Falls City Council seats, with Democrat Donta Myles in third place.

Republicans won or were leading in every Common Council race in Lockport and North Tonawanda, but Austin J. Tylec continues to lead Robert E. Pecoraro for mayor in the only bright spot for the Democrats. Tylec leads by almost 400 votes with 18 of 33 precincts reporting.

- By Tom Prohaska

Hardwick edges Dixon; sheriff's race too close to call  (10:30 p.m.)

Republican-turned-Democrat Kevin Hardwick has bested his GOP opponent Lynne Dixon in a spirited contest for Erie County comptroller. The race for Erie County sheriff remains too close to call.

Democratic Erie County Legislator @kevinhardwick has won the Erie County comptroller's race, defeating Republican-endorsed challenger @VoteLynne Dixon. pic.twitter.com/zCmlfsogrL

— Sandra Tan (@SandraTanBN) November 3, 2021

Davis loses bid for third term as Tonawanda mayor (10:29 p.m.)

Tonawanda Mayor Rick Davis, a polarizing figure who rubbed many of his fellow Democrats the wrong way, has lost his bid for a third term.

Republican John White handily won 66% to 34% over Davis with 92% of today's votes counted and all early votes counted, according to the Erie County Board of Elections.

- By Steve Watson

Hoak declares victory in Hamburg (10:28 p.m.)

Per our colleagues at The Sun, Democrat Randy Hoak has declared victory in a speech at the restaurant bearing his family's name.

Hoak, who per Buffalo News projections has not sealed victory but stands on the cusp of it, was running against sitting Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw, an outspoken Republican who made some controversial campaign proclamations. 

- By Eric DuVall

Vinal retains seat, nearly assuring Dem control of Erie County Legislature (10:15 p.m.)

Democratic incumbent Erie County Legislator Jeanne Vinal has won re-election to a second two-year term in the 5th District in Amherst. 

Vinal, an Amherst lawyer defeated Rich Wilkinson, a political newcomer and auto dealership general manager.

It was one of two seats the Republicans had targeted in an uphill battle to win control of the chamber.

– By Sandra Tan

Direct mail campaign literature may have been delayed (10:15 p.m.)

You may have gotten some – or a lot, depending on where you live – political fliers in the mail this campaign season.

The timing of sending the fliers is part of a well-oiled campaign to make sure they drop at the optimum time. But this year candidates had to deal with the U.S. Postal Service slow-down in delivering the mail. Starting last month, the Postal Service said it would take three to five days to deliver first-class mail, depending on how far it had to go.

But it was taking longer than that to deliver fliers across town in West Seneca. 

"Seven and eight days it's taking," said West Seneca Republican Chairwoman Patti Stephens. 

So you may wake up to mail telling you how you should have voted.

– By Barbara O'Brien

Alden votes to upsize board (10:15 p.m.)

Alden voters overwhelmingly voted to increase the size of their Town Board from three members to five. 

That means two more Council seats will be added Jan. 1, 2023.

Alden is the last of five Erie County Town Boards that went to three members to upsize to five members. 

– By Barbara O'Brien

Kulpa wins Amherst supervisor race (10:10 p.m.)

Democratic incumbent Brian J. Kulpa handily beat Republican challenger Jay DiPasquale to capture a second term as Amherst town supervisor.

Kulpa, who also has the Working Families and Conservative party lines, was leading 57% to 43% over DiPasquale, who also has the United for Amherst minor-party line, with 99% of early votes and 99% of Election Day votes counted.

– By Steve Watson

A strange scene for media at Dem HQ (10:07 p.m.)

News media are being directed to the 6th floor of the Larkin Building at Erie County Democratic headquarters, away from party folk who are gathered on the 1st floor in another part of the building. #election2021 pic.twitter.com/4F4z0kjlXv

— Harold McNeil (@HaroldMcNeilBN) November 3, 2021

They have a novel setup at Democratic Headquarters in the Larkin Building. Members of the news media are segregated from the party regulars. Reporters are being directed to the sixth floor in a large room with loud music and a large American flag on the back wall while party regulars assemble on the first floor. Individual candidates who've won their races were introduced to a podium to make quick speeches. 

Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski introduced the first openly gay State Supreme Court Judge-elect, Grace Hanlon.

"When I was a kid, I never could have dreamed of this because I was gay," she said. 

She previously ran for the seat and lost in 2016.

Democratic mayoral candidate India Walton made a brief appearance to thank supporters.

"I am extremely proud of the campaign that we have run," she said, adding she was looking forward to seeing the results. 

– By Harold McNeil

Democrat Randy Hoak was ahead of Republican Stefan I. Mychajliw by about 1,100 votes, with about 80% of precincts in Hamburg reporting.

Many of those votes came from the Village of Hamburg, which was expected to vote for Hoak.

Hoak had a 1,000 vote lead with early voting.  

– By Barbara O'Brien

Erie County voters historically prefer checks and balances in a comptroller (9:52 p.m.)

As reporters await election results in the Erie County comptroller's race, a couple of us started wondering when the last time an elected comptroller came from the same political party as the sitting county executive.

We had to go back a long time — 34 years. That's when Republican Comptroller Alfreda Slominski served while Republican Edward Rutkowski was Erie County executive. Their time overlapped from 1979 to 1987. Other than that, the voters of Erie County tend to prefer comptrollers of the opposite party than the sitting county executive, which makes sense given the comptroller's role as fiscal watchdog.

Democrat David Shenk served for a short time as acting comptroller with Democratic County Executive Mark Poloncarz. But he was appointed by Poloncarz — not elected — in February 2012 and lost his election that November.

In this year's race, Republican-turned-Democrat Kevin Hardwick is running against endorsed Republican Lynne Dixon. If voters continue the pattern of voting for a comptroller of the opposite party than the county executive, that would give Dixon the edge. But Hardwick is waging a very competitive campaign. So we'll see whether the pattern holds or gets broken after more than 30 years.

– By Sandra Tan

Davis critics get louder in closing days of Tonawanda's mayoral race (9:43 p.m.)

Messages sent to voters in Tonawanda that criticize Mayor Rick Davis have become an issue in the last days of the campaign in that city.

Davis, a Democrat, starts out with a considerable enrollment edge over GOP opponent John White in a city where Democrats make up 41% of registered voters compared to the Republicans’ 28%.

But Davis has made enemies within his own party and has drawn scrutiny for actions taken while mayor.

Earlier this year, the relationship between Davis and the Democratic-controlled Common Council was beset by turmoil, with sniping during meetings and on social media.

And Davis was investigated by the city’s Board of Ethics and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office over allegations that included his use of a city credit card and Tonawanda’s hiring of his brother as a contractor. He denied wrongdoing and no evidence of ethical or criminal violations was found.

But Davis on Facebook recently brought attention to text messages and automated calls going out to voters that highlight some of the allegations against him. He blasted them as “personal attacks” and said his campaign would never send out anything without his explicit approval.

White, however, in his own Facebook post denied having anything to do with the anti-Davis messages and said, “I do not condone this activity against my opponent.”

– Steve Watson

Dems hope to challenge for control of Niagara County Legislature (9:36 p.m.)

Republicans have controlled the Niagara County Legislature for 18 years, but Democrats made a concerted effort to change that Tuesday.

The GOP's 10-5 edge is being threatened by Democrats running against four of the Republican incumbents. But the GOP pushed to flip some of the Democrats' seats, too.

The Republican incumbents facing challengers were Legislature Chairwoman Rebecca J. Wydysh of Lewiston, who is running against Jamie L. Symmonds; Majority Leader Randy R. Bradt of North Tonawanda, challenged by Joseph J. Kissel; Irene M. Myers of Porter, opposed by Joseph M. Conti III; and Jesse P. Gooch of Wheatfield, facing Daryl P. Bodewes.

But the Democrats have to defend some seats, too. Incumbent Mark J. Grozio of Niagara Falls faces John L. Sczepczenski; and the City of Lockport's Anita Mullane is being challenged by Richard E. Abbott, a member of the Working Families Party running with the GOP endorsement.

Mullane-Abbott is one of the most interesting races on the ballot, but so is the Newfane-Somerset seat, which Republican John Syracuse is giving up to run for Newfane supervisor.

The GOP nominated Shawn A. Foti for the seat, but the Democrats ran Sarah Beilein Capen, daughter of former Niagara County Sheriff Thomas Beilein.

In Niagara Falls' 6th District, Minority Leader Dennis F. Virtuoso decided not to run for his 16th term for health reasons. The open seat attracted two city councilmen, Democrat William Kennedy II and Republican Christopher P. Voccio, both of whom decided they'd rather run for legislator than another Council term.

Two Democrats are running in the Falls' 4th District. Jeffrey Elder, who ran as an independent for mayor in 2019, won the primary over incumbent Owen T. Steed, but Steed ended up with the Conservative line as a vehicle to continue his re-election bid.

Unopposed for re-election are Democrat Christopher A. Robins of Niagara Falls and Republicans Richard L. Andres Jr. of North Tonawanda, David E. Godfrey of Wilson, Anthony J. Nemi and William J. Collins Sr. of Lockport and Michael A. Hill of Hartland.

– By Tom Prohaska

2005 set high water mark for sheriff's race turnout (9:25 p.m.)

Erie County sheriff candidates mashup (copy)

This year's hot mayor’s race in Buffalo helps give Democrats an uncommon chance to win the race for Erie County sheriff.

The century’s high-water mark for voter turnout in the sheriff’s race was set in 2005, when Byron W. Brown first ran for Buffalo mayor, against Republican Kevin Helfer.

Mayor's race: Byron Brown says election returns show 'one of the greatest comebacks in our history'

The high city turnout contributed to the almost 250,000 votes cast countywide in the sheriff’s race. But the conventional wisdom that the city’s concentration of Democratic voters would give a Democrat the sheriff’s office didn’t hold. Republican Timothy B. Howard won his first term, by about 3 percentage points, over retired Buffalo police detective Charles Fieramusca, the Democrat.

This time, though, the Republican candidate is running in a split field. John C. Garcia could lose votes to Republican Ted DiNoto, who is running as an independent, and Karen Healy-Case, who has the Conservative line.

Those factors may put the wind at Democratic candidate Kimberly Beaty’s back.

– By Matthew Spina

Democrats take early voting edge in North Tonawanda (9:19 p.m.)

North Tonawanda Democrats have had little success at the polls in recent years, with Austin J. Tylec's alderman-at-large win in 2017 their sole recent bright spot.

But it looks like Democrats turned out strongly in early voting this year in the Lumber City.

The early voting results, posted right after the 9 p.m. poll closing by the Niagara County Board of Elections, showed Tylec leading Republican Robert E. Pecoraro for mayor, 178-87.

Democrats also led for city clerk-treasurer, all four Council seats on the NT ballot, and the only contested County Legislature race in a district solely within the city limits.

However it turns out at the end of the night when today's votes are tallied – it's become a political truism that Republicans don't like to vote early – at least Democrats in the Lumber City can point to their performance between Oct. 23 and 31 as a success.

- By Tom Prohaska

At election night party, GOP boss is feeling confident (9:12 p.m.)

The Erie County Republican Committee is gathering at The Avant in Buffalo, expecting 75 to 100 people in a first-floor event room on a night when they’re hopeful to make gains in key seats across the county.

“I think it's going to be a real good year for Republicans,” GOP Chairman Karl Simmeth told The Buffalo News just before 9 p.m. “I've been wrong before, but I feel real good this year.”

He believes voters are paying attention to national politics this year and could vote Republican as they feel pain at the gas pump, see inflation rising and in the aftermath of the "unmitigated disaster we had over in Afghanistan."

In addition to several town races, Simmeth sees opportunity for Republicans in the comptroller race, where Lynne Dixon is running against Democrat Kevin Hardwick. He also has high hopes in the sheriff’s race, where Republican candidate John Garcia is squaring off against Democrat Kim Beaty and Ted DiNoto, who is running as an independent.

In the Erie County Legislature, Simmeth is specifically looking at the 9th District race, where Republican Frank Bogulski is running against Democratic incumbent John Gilmour. He’s also watching the 5th District, where Republican Rich Wilkinson is taking on Democratic incumbent Jeanne Vinal.

“I think Frank Bogulski’s got a real good chance at winning,” Simmeth said. “Frank's worked hard. Rich Wilkinson in in the fourth district - He's been working hard.

“But Frank has really been pounding the pavement and he's been having fundraisers.”

As for who is expected at tonight’s Republican gathering, Simmeth said Garcia is having his own watch party in Grand Island. Dixon is expected to attend, as well as all Republican candidates for county legislature, he added.

Polls have closed ... and now we play the waiting game (9 p.m.)

It's 9 p.m. and the polls are now closed across the state.

If you were a true procrastinator and showed up in the last minutes of voting, poll workers will allow ballots to be cast after 9 p.m., provided the voter was at least in line before the deadline.

The Erie County Board of Elections is expected to quickly release the results of early votes cast beginning Oct. 23 through Sunday, which should give an early indication of where races are headed. 

We will have live results posted shortly, when vote totals across the region begin to trickle in. 

– By Eric DuVall

Board upsizing scrambles voting in three towns (8:50 p.m.)

Alden voters are deciding for the third time today how many members there should be on their Town Board: three or five?

Alden is the last of five towns in Erie County to have three members, after downsizing when activist Kevin Gaughan promoted it 12 years ago. There are two councilwomen and one supervisor serving on the Alden Town Board. If the increase is approved, two council seats would be added.

Orchard Park and Evans voters already approved increasing their boards to five members as of Jan. 1. Today's vote in those two towns includes the two new seats. And because of that, there are three councilman seats being filled in each town: two for four-year terms and one for a two-year term. 

Orchard Park ran into issues with the three-member board last year when Supervisor Patrick Keem resigned. That left two board members: one Democrat and one Republican.

The two appointed a non-voting deputy supervisor, but have gone this year with just two voting members. That means every vote they take must be unanimous to pass.

– By Barbara O'Brien

What to watch for in Erie County Legislature races (8:37 p.m.)

Though all 11 Erie County Legislature seats are technically up for election, only two have been involved in active fund raising and campaigning in the general election.

It would come as a major surprise for the Republican Party, which lost the Legislature majority in 2018, to regain it this election cycle, given the political makeup of the legislative districts that are now being contested.

But Republicans believe they have a reasonable shot at knocking off at least one of the incumbent Democrats, especially since the both the 9th District and 5th District seats are occupied by incumbents who have occupied their seats for only two years.

The races to watch:

• Incumbent Democrat John Gilmour and Republican challenger Frank Bogulski in the 9th District, which covers Hamburg, Lackawanna and South Buffalo

• Incumbent Democrat Jeanne Vinal and Republican challenger Rich Wilkinson in the 5th District, in Amherst.

– Sandra Tan

Amherst GOP hoping attacks over development proposals net them a seat at the table (8:30 p.m.)

Amherst Republicans want to knock off Supervisor Brian J. Kulpa and gain a foothold on the all-Democratic Town Board in an election where management of development is a central issue.

Kulpa won his first term in 2017, when Democrats swept to power, and is opposed by Republican Jay DiPasquale. Councilwoman Jacqualine Berger and Councilman Shawn Lavin are challenged by the GOP’s Dan Rider and Ray Herman.

The Republicans, with their allies in the newly formed United for Amherst Party, have attacked Democrats over a tentative agreement with Mensch Capital Partners – the developers who own the former Westwood Country Club – that’s set to guide hundreds of millions of dollars of future development in central Amherst.

United for Amherst has blasted the town for selling 15 acres of athletic fields to make way for a medical complex near the town’s Northtown Center facility and for promising to sell another 38 acres, saying the deals weren’t negotiated transparently. The criticism continued Oct. 25, when United for Amherst held a rally at the Northtown Center that offered the GOP candidates one more chance to attack the incumbents over the "destruction" of recreational venues.

Democrats say the town is building upgraded fields to replace those lost and public input was part of the planning process. 

It’s unclear whether enough people are upset about Kulpa’s Amherst Central Park project planning to allow the GOP to make gains in Tuesday’s election. Democrats hold the supervisor’s seat and all four council seats in upstate’s most populous town, where they have a 43% to 29% edge over Republicans among registered voters.

– Stephen T. Watson

Town of Tonawanda Democrats seek to maintain exclusive power (8:16 p.m.)

Town of Tonawanda Republicans have tried to paint their opponents as unable to boost development, soft on crime and willing to outsource vital town services.

It’s not certain whether the political criticisms will be enough for the GOP to overcome Democrats’ advantages of enrollment and incumbency in a town where they’ve won every Town Board election since 2007 and where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a whopping 46% to 27% among registered voters.

There has been considerable turnover on the Town Board, though, where Councilwoman Shannon Patch won her seat in 2019 and Councilwoman Jill O'Malley was appointed earlier this year. They are running for re-election with fellow Democrat Gina Santa Maria, who seeks a seat that is coming open this year.

The Republican candidates are Stephen Brown, Scott Marciszewski and Caren Paterniti.

They say Democrats have created an unfavorable business climate and, by accepting the Working Families Party endorsement, don’t support police. Democrats point to large investments by major employers such as GM and Sumitomo Rubber and say they’ve increased the Police Department budget.

One GOP broadside centers on Santa Maria’s acceptance of a $500 donation from Modern Landfill, which provides recycling and trash collection services but not in the town.

Both Marciszewski, in an interview, and Brown, on Facebook, have raised this as an issue.

Santa Maria responded to the Republicans’ line of attack by saying she doesn't support privatizing those services.

– Stephen T. Watson

Beaty grabs another $21K for final blitz (8:10 p.m.)

Erie County sheriff candidates mashup (copy)

Republican candidate John C. Garcia has been raising more campaign money in the race for Erie County sheriff than his Democratic challenger, Kimberly Beaty. But Beaty grabbed far more than Garcia in the final week before Election Day.

Beaty’s campaign told the state Board of Elections it received $21,500 from five donors since Oct. 28. The biggest sums came from the Erie County Democratic Committee, which delivered another $10,000, and Eric Eve of Brooklyn, a son of former state Assembly Speaker Arthur O. Eve Sr., D-Buffalo. Eric Eve, a political consultant, gave the Beaty campaign $5,000 on Monday.

Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner said the party was determined to buy more broadcast advertising to counter Garcia's messaging.

Garcia’s campaign told the state Board of Elections it received about $3,500 since Oct. 28, which includes $2,500 from the county Republican Committee.

Candidate Ted DiNoto, a Republican running as an independent, received $5,000 Friday from Clarence businessman Albert Nemmer Sr., according to a DiNoto report to the Elections Board.

A fourth candidate on the ballot, Conservative nominee Karen Healy-Case, has shut down her campaign.

– Matt Spina

How many votes will it take to win in Hamburg? (8 p.m.)

Hamburg supervisor Hoak Stefan

Candidates often say the key to winning a race is turnout. By that they mean getting more of their voters out to the polls than their opponent.

But how many does that mean for the supervisor's race in Hamburg?

At first glance in Hamburg, it seems the Democrats have the edge. There are 17,561 Democrats, which is 5,000 more than Republicans. But there also are nearly 9,200 voters not enrolled in any party.

And while Erie County voted for President Joe Biden last year, Donald Trump garnered just over 17,000 votes in the town and won Hamburg by 242 votes. 

But it shouldn't take 17,000 votes to win the supervisor's seat this year.

James M. Shaw won the supervisor's job four years ago with more than 10,000 votes. And four years before that, Supervisor Steven Walters won re-election with about 7,300 votes.

Democratic candidate for supervisor Randy Hoak said his focus was on getting out the vote. Meanwhile his opponent, Erie County Comptroller Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr., a Republican, said he was tapping into senior citizens and Democratic voters. 

– Barbara O'Brien