SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — For the first time in a general election, absentee ballot counting is happening before Election Day in Onondaga County. But after concerns of voter integrity violations and appeals to a prior ruling against the counting, the continuation of the count is pending the court meeting to discuss the ballot counts on November 1.
Locally, Onondaga County Elections Commissioner Dustin M. Czarny is optimistic about the process so far.
“It’s actually gone really well. We have bipartisan teams that opens canvass every four days,” said Czarny.
According to AP News, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court will meet on November 1 to continue discussing early ballot counts. But the ship has sailed in Onondaga County and ballots have been counted, making it hard to halt the progress the county has already made.
“It’s really late to change this, and we already have half of our ballots or so opened and scanned,” said Czarny.
In the two latest primaries, the county was able to report absentee ballot results on election night due to the early counting. Czarny sees the new practice for the general election as a helpful one for the county, and a step in the right direction for elections.
“Anytime you’re waiting that long to open ballots is a problem,” said Czarny. “We don’t have the hoards of election observers coming in to try to recklessly object a ballot and try to throw out a ballot for partisan reasons. We will be able to report the results on election night, which will give more assurance of the results for the voters as well.”
For Czarny, a decision to uphold the ability to count absentee ballots early is the goal. If the court decides for early counting, the Onondaga County Board of Elections will count again on Monday, November 7.
“We follow whatever the court says. I’m hopeful that the courts going to see that the process that has been in place should at least continue for this general election,” he said.
Absentee voting gives Americans the option to vote if they cannot make it to the polls. Czarny sees early counting as a way to assure Central New Yorkers that their vote is being counted and that it certainly matters.
“There are all kinds of circumstances, especially in this day and age that will keep somebody from going to the polls,” said Czarny. “These are all citizens with rights to vote and they should be accommodated.”
For more information on absentee voting, visit http://www.ongov.net/elections/absentee.html.