Election Day 2012 should be fairly busy at most polling locations in Erie County compared to some "off years." County Democratic Election Commissioner Dennis Ward says of the 4-year election cycle, the presidential year is always the busiest.
Ward expects to have a typical turnout today between 75-and-78-percent.
But Ward says the numbers could go higher in the newly drawn 27th Congressional District where Kathy Hochul and Chris Collins have spent millions of dollars on negative ads.
"Obviously, New York not being considered to be a highly contested state at the Presidential level, we've been shielded from all the advertisements [in the so-called battleground states,]" Ward said.
"Perhaps in an area where the Hochul-Collins race is you might get a little higher turnout simply because the [voters] have been driven more by the heavy campaigns being put on by the two candidates."
The race in the 60th State Senate District between Mark Grisanti Michael Amodeo and Chuck Swanick is also being closely watched.
With the hurricane relief effort underway downstate, County GOP Election Commissioner Ralph Mohr says the board of elections has worked with local construction and utility companies.
"The turnout that we've seen so far, with regards to absentee ballots, [is] close to an all-time high. We, I think, have mailed out in excess of 24,000 absentee ballots. And we've received a number back."
Absentee ballots postmarked no later than midnight last night will be accepted until November 13th.
Or they can be delivered personally to the Board of Elections up until polls close at 9 tonight.