By Benjamin Schiller NCC News (SYRACUSE N.Y.) –
It took six days for local residents to learn who won the election between Democrat Francis Conole and Republican Brandon Williams in New York 22nd Congressional District.
Americans waited patiently as it took days to learn which political party would control the House of Representatives and Senate. It’s due to the dramatic increase in mail-in voting.
NBC News is reporting that 52,204,412 Americans requested mail-in ballots, according to data published on November 16.
But, some Americans are concerned about the rise in mail-in ballots and election integrity.
Democracy Fund Advisor Tammy Patrick says the same system is in place now just like before the pandemic.
“We know that in the last ten years, we have had a deeper investment into our election infrastructure, in terms of cyber security investments and the physical security of our voting systems,” said Patrick. “As well as an expansion option for voters to choose on when, how, and where they vote.”
Arizona has gotten a lot of attention in recent weeks because of its Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Kari Lake, who does not believe the 2020 Presidential Election was legitimate.
Patrick, who is a former election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, says the state’s system has one of the most secure processes.
“More Arizonians have been voting by mail for decades than have shown up to vote in person on Election Day,” said Patrick. “It literally has been that way for decades.”
Plus, the U.S. has a checks and balances system where laws can’t just be changed overnight, says University of Buffalo Election Law Professor Jim Gardner.
“If it’s a law, it has to be enacted by the legislature,” said Gardner.
But, here in Onondaga County, it took nearly a week to count most of the mail-in ballots to officially declare Brandon Williams the winner in the New York 22 House Race.
On Wednesday, Onondaga County Board of Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny said, “We understand results are important, but we will be accurate first. With nearly 4,000 ballots yet to be scanned, this is the largest of any county in the local close races and must be done correctly. Thank you for your patience.”
Ballot counting continued today at the Onondaga County Board of Elections facility. The final vote tallies will be released in just a few days.