The Nov. 2 general election represents what may be the most unusual slate of local contests in generations. Although each race – sheriff’s, County Comptroller, Town of Amherst, legislative and judicial, among others – hold the interest of constituents, none other can be compared to that of the Buffalo mayoral contest.
Four-term mayor Byron W. Brown is fighting for his political life as he wages a write-in campaign against India B. Walton, a democratic socialist who has never held office but won the June primary.
Add into this political mix the persistence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the mask-wearing and social distancing it requires. Given the balance of unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, some voters may be reluctant to travel to the polls. For them, or any other registered voter, the options of early voting and absentee voting are available.
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How does it all work? What are the options in casting votes during the general election? Here are the answers, provided with the help of Ralph M. Mohr, Erie County Republican election commissioner. Go to elections.erie.gov for all information.
EARLY VOTING: The deadline to register to vote, Oct. 8, has already passed. Now is a good time to turn voters’ attention to early voting, initiated in the general election in 2019. Early voting starts Oct. 23 and ends Oct. 31. Polling hours are noon to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 6 p.m. on weekends. Registered individuals can cast their early votes at any early voting polling place.
Erie County has 38 such sites this election, with the newest at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, 641 Delaware Ave. The designation honors the 120th anniversary of Roosevelt’s inauguration and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the national site. The City of Buffalo has 11 early voting locations, including the Board of Elections building, at 134 W. Eagle St., 14202.
ABSENTEE VOTING: The online portal for this option is live and taking requests for absentee ballots through Monday, Oct. 18 at 11:59 p.m. To submit a paper request for an absentee or mail-in ballot, go online and deliver or mail the completed form to the Erie County Board of Elections (address above). Mailed requests must be postmarked no later than Oct. 26. Requests personally delivered to the Erie County Board of Elections will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Nov. 1.
Mailed ballots must be sent to the Erie County Board of Elections and postmarked no later than Nov. 2. Ballots can be hand-delivered to the Erie County Board of Elections any time during normal business hours on or before Nov. 2, to any one of the 38 Erie County early voting locations during designated voting hours between Oct. 23-31, or to any of the 315 polling sites between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Election Day.
Any registered voter is eligible for an absentee ballot this year using the pandemic as a reason. There is also a proposal on the ballot to allow no-excuse absentee voting in future elections in New York.
WRITE-IN VOTING: In any contested race, the public has the ability to write in a candidate not listed on the ballot. A few such candidates are seeking write-in votes, but none as prominent as the race for Buffalo mayor.
In the case of that highly contested, closely watched election, voters wanting to “Write Down Byron Brown” must do so on the bottom right half of the ballot. Brown voters must write the name of the candidate in the proper column. A name written in the wrong column – for State Supreme Court judge, for example – will be counted as a vote for that office, not the mayor.
The name has to be identifiable to a candidate. Perfect spelling is not required, nor does the name have to match the candidate’s registration file. But it has to be a name recognizable in the community as being attributed to that candidate.
Elections officials are asking candidates engaged in write-in campaigns to let them know. Mohr is certain that there will be plenty of “Bryan” Browns. Using just the last name is OK. The courts take the same position as the Board of Elections: If they can match the name to a candidate who is actively seeking that position, they will count it for that candidate. Try staying within the voting square, although the vote will still count.
Stamps are legal for write-in votes. One source, quoted in an earlier article, said Brown’s campaign is procuring “Byron Brown” stamps for voters to use. However, stickers were made illegal in 2015 because they gum up the scanners.
If there is litigation, it could occur because of the provision in Election Law that if a person’s name appears on the ballot, you cannot also write in his or her name. So, someone voting for Walton for mayor would fill in the circle next to her name on the ballot, but must refrain from also writing her name.
Refer to the link – elections.erie.gov – for all information and, however it is done, be sure to vote.
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