BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Early voting in New York State began on October 24 and ran until November 1, 2020 and there was a significant turnout across Western New York.
According to data obtained by 7 Eyewitness New, here's how many people voted early and how many absentee ballots have been requested and returned in Western New York's eight counties.
Allegany County
- Registered Voters: 26,195
- Number of Early Voters: 3,248
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 3,591
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 2,761 (as of Nov. 2)
Cattaraugus County
- Registered Voters: 46,712
- Number of Early Voters: 6,174
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 5,393
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 4,162 (as of Nov. 2)
Chautauqua County
- Registered Voters: 79,741
- Number of Early Voters: 14,279
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 11,901
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 9,945 (as of Nov. 2)
Erie County
- Registered Voters: Nearly 630,000
- Number of Early Voters: 167,938
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 93,899
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 80,954 (as of 8:45 p.m. Nov. 3)
Genesee County
- Registered Voters: 38,101
- Number of Early Voters: 6,661
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 4,963
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 3,813 (as of Nov. 2)
Niagara County
- Registered Voters: 138,640
- Number of Early Voters: 20,533
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 18,857
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 13,056 (as of Nov. 1)
Orleans County
- Registered Voters: 24,265
- Number of Early Voters: 3,753
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 2,907
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 2,225 (as of Nov. 1)
Wyoming County
- Registered Voters: 24,667
- Number of Early Voters: 3,373
- Absentee Ballots Issued: 2,355
- Absentee Ballots Returned: 1,993 (as of 7 p.m. Nov. 3)
The data shows that the majority of early votes in Western New York were cast from Erie County and Niagara counties.
Of Western New York's more rural counties, the majority of early votes came from Chautauqua County.
A rough estimate of registered voters throughout Western New York suggests that just over 1 million people at roughly 1,008,321 are registered.
