Monroe County elections officials say it’s such an unusual election cycle, they won’t even speculate about what percentage of registered Republicans and Democrats will come out to vote in New York’s primary election on Tuesday.
"We do think turnout could be pretty high and certainly we're prepared for that,” said Democratic elections commissioner Tom Ferrarese. “But, you know it's funny, I talked to my counterpart here and we kind of sat back and went, I don't know, this is a really hard one to call. I don't think I've seen an election like this....ever."
Ferrarese said there will be the same number of polling places open as there would be for a general election, because the turnout is expected to be high. He said in the past twenty years, the turnout for presidential primaries been “all over the place,” ranging between 7 percent and 36 percent, and Ferrarese said it’s possible that 50 to 60 percent or more of those eligible show up to cast their ballot. In the past several months, thousands of first-time voters have registered locally.
Unlike the general election, the polls won't be open in the morning. They’re open from noon to 9 p.m. "I don't want people showing up at polling places at 6 o'clock in the morning, and disappointed because our polling place isn't open yet,” Ferrarese said.
The political campaigns will also be keeping a close eye on the demographics of Tuesday’s voters. Local Bernie Sanders delegate Kevin Sweeney says he expects many of the young people who came to Sander's rally in Brighton last week to vote in the primary, but he does concede that the October deadline to switch parties caught some potential voters by surprise.
"Many people discovered Senator Sanders after that fact, and they were very upset, whether they were unaffiliated or an Independence or Working Party member, that the state wasn't going to allow them to vote for the candidate they felt was the best one to represent them."
Sweeney says New York State needs to have an open primary, where anyone can participate, regardless of party affiliation.
Monroe County voters who have questions may call the Board of Elections at (585) 753-1550. The website also has information about registration and local polling places.
New York voters will be able to report any problems at the polls through a special hotline staffed by the office of State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The number is 800-771-7755.
