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Syracuse voters who cast their ballots on Tuesday said they were impressed with health precautions at polling places and felt comfortable voting in person despite increasing coronavirus cases. 

Onondaga County saw a record number of new cases on Friday. County Executive Ryan McMahon confirmed 66 cases of the virus Monday, part of a general uptick in cases in New York state and across the country. 

Most voters on Election Day said social distancing protocols and extensive sanitizing at polling places made them feel safe casting their ballots. For many, the stakes of this year’s election were worth taking the risk to vote in person.  

Shanekwa Little, a Syracuse resident, came to Syracuse University’s Huntington Hall to make her voice heard, confident that the county’s health guidelines would protect her. 

“I came with my mask, and I’m staying socially distant so I’m not too concerned with it,” Little said. 

Voting centers across the county opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 9 p.m. Minutes after the polls opened on Tuesday morning, voters at some polling places were already waiting in lines out the door. 

The Onondaga County Board of Elections implemented extensive protocols to prevent the virus from spreading at the polls this year. Masks were required inside polling places, and poll workers had extras to distribute as needed. 

Markers on the floor inside polling places also indicated where voters would stand, and workers regularly sanitized areas where voters fill out their ballots. Celine Brad, a junior conservation biology student at SUNY-ESF, said poll workers at Huntington Hall used glue sticks to seal ballots rather than licking them.

J.J. Hayes, a Syracuse resident originally from Texas, woke up early to cast his ballot at Huntington Hall. 

Though he had some concerns about the county’s rise in cases, Hayes felt comfortable voting in person given the social distancing protocols at the polling center.

“Of course I’m very wary of COVID, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take certain precautions — being distant from people, wearing your masks, using your hand sanitizer, minimizing surfaces that you’re touching,” Hayes said.

Early voting for the general election started Oct. 24 and ran until Sunday. Nearly 3 million New York residents had already cast their ballots by Sunday afternoon. About 2.5 million people voted early in person, while almost 850,000 sent their ballots by mail.

Of the 308,296 registered voters in Onondaga County, more than 111,000 cast their ballots early in person or through absentee ballot, according to the county’s board of elections. Over 225,000 voters in Onondaga County had cast their ballots in person or by mail as of 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Several poll workers and voters said the expanded early voting measures led to less crowding, making it easier for voters to practice social distancing while casting their ballot. 

Valerie Hartman-Souver, a poll worker at the Erwin First United Methodist Church, said her job as a retail worker has allowed her to become comfortable being around people during the pandemic. The uptake in virus cases in the region is a concern among poll workers, which is why they are taking health precautions seriously, she said.

Beverly Geis, a poll worker at Salina Town Hall, said poll workers disinfect surfaces and wear gloves when they assist voters. 

About 55% of the 85,000 poll workers who are usually hired ahead of general elections in New York state are over 60 years old. But with concerns about COVID-19 looming, many older workers decided not to return to the polls this year. 

Geis, who has been a poll worker for 30 years, said the pandemic did not reduce the number of older voters who cast their ballot in person at the polling site this year. 

Attendance at the Salina Town Hall station was similar to past elections, with an influx of older voters in the morning, Geis said. 

“They come in prepared,” Geis said. “A lot of them have gloves on. They all have masks. They are here.” 

Sean LoPresti, a resident of Syracuse’s Northside neighborhood, said the coronavirus is a major concern for him. LoPresti was furloughed from his job for a period over the summer because of the pandemic, he said. 

But the risk hasn’t deterred him from voting in person, which he feels is his civic duty. 

“I just hope after these few election days that there’s not a huge influx of cases,” LoPresti said. “But I mean, everybody feels that they have to do their duty.”

Published on November 3, 2020 at 8:58 pm

Contact Michael: [email protected] | @MichaelSessa3