Election Day sees steady stream of voters; latest turnout numbers in Monroe County at nearly 74%

Voter turnout in Monroe County was just shy of 74% as of 8 p.m., according to the county Board of Elections, a figure that would put the county on pace to eclipse the highest general election turnout in many years but fall short of the record.

County elections officials issued the following numbers:

• Turnout for the general election as of 8 p.m.:  159,160.
• Early voting totals:  105,732.
• Absentee ballots received to date:  95,572.

Siena pollster Don Levy told WCNY’s Capitol Pressroom that, "The interest in this election is astronomic.  The sense of uncertainty that is across the entire population, all the folks who are living are asking who's going to win?  It's a question that's on everyone's mind."

There are 481,448 registered voters in Monroe County, with Democrats making up 203,583 of them. Enrolled Republicans stand at 128,027. The rest of the registered voting population are split between various other parties and independent voters.

In the 2016 general election, 76% of registered voters cast a ballot -- a turnout that was the highest in years.

The large number of mailed-in absentee ballots may make it difficult to call elections after the polls close on Election Day. Those ballots will not be counted until Nov. 16, as per state law.

The all-time high turnout, however, was in 1992, when 89% of voters cast a ballot.

Typically, election boards do not certify their results for weeks after an election. But political observers and news agencies, like the Associated Press, project the winners when it has become apparent that there is no pathway to victory for the trailing candidate.

The number of outstanding mail-in ballots in particular races today could put a hold on some projections.

Throughout Election Day, a steady line formed at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, with people stopping by to pay their respects to suffragist Susan B. Anthony, who is buried there. In the 2016 presidential election, about 10,000 people visited the gravesite.

There is additional interest in Anthony this year since it's her 200^th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which helped women secure the right to vote.

In Webster, lines were short and people were in and out of the polls quickly.

Some people, like Kevin Malloy, made voting a family affair. Malloy said he always votes and was excited to do it with his family this year. He's also a big fan of President Donald Trump.

“I just want the government to stay out of my life a little bit and let me do what I do and let my family do what they do and I think that Trump gives us the best option aside from the fact that he can be an idiot every once in a while,” he said.

On the other hand, his wife, Nancy, said she never votes. She was coy about who she voted for, but she did say that she likes Democrat Jen Lunsford over incumbent Republican Mark Johns in the 135th District Assembly seat race. 

“She stands up for women and women’s rights and I feel that she’s a very strong candidate,” she said.

The Malloys agreed on at least one thing: voting this year was a must.