The first day of early voting in Onondaga County this election cycle was record breaking.
8,761 people voted on Saturday. The most in a non-presidential election year since New York adopted early voting, according to the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
That same day, Democrats rallied at UA Local 81, a trade union representing plumbers and pipefitters in Syracuse.
“There's never been a more crucial time to convince people to get out to vote,” union president Marcus Williamee said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul joined the rally as part of her Upstate campaign tour. After casting her ballot in her hometown of Buffalo, Hochul stopped in Rochester before ending the day in Syracuse, where she urged supporters to help turn out more voters.
“I'm going to give you a job to do. You have to get at least nine extra people to the polls,” Hochul continued, “but I realize with inflation, you're going to make it 10”
Hochul’s Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman rallied in New York City Saturday, just over two weeks after his Syracuse visit.
“Go out and vote early,” Blakeman said in a social media post, “It’s important that we get our votes in on time. You never know what could happen on election day.”
In a previous interview, Blakeman told WAER that Gov. Hochul has left Central New Yorkers behind.
“They’ve been ignored for too long. They have a governor that has made them miserable,” Blakeman said. “They need a governor that will make them happy, that won’t ignore Central New York, that will create jobs and prosperity, put more money in your pockets and lower taxes.”
When asked for her take, Hochul said, “I think you can look at the list of accomplishments. Billions of dollars of investments in Central New York.”
“I could go on and on,” Hochul continued, “We have made massive investments here. And if you ask anyone, we've driven down crime here.”
Early voting ends Nov. 1, and every voter within Onondaga County can vote at any of the 10 early voting sites.
Election Day is Nov. 3. Stay tuned on WAER’s website for a comprehensive voter guide and live election coverage.
