Latest updates on elections from around central and northern NY
*This blog is no longer being updated *
We'll be bringing you updates late into the night, and we'll have a wrap up of election on Morning Edition, Wednesday morning from 5-10 a.m. on WRVO.
Get live results here
Keep an eye on the document below for the latest results on the races we're following.
When will I see results?
Counties can release their early voting totals as early as 9 p.m. That means you'll start to see the results updated shortly after that.
Once the early voting numbers are added, it will take some time for results from today's voting to begin to be added. Remember, voting machines at polling places are not connected to the internet. They cannot upload results to the county Board of Elections. The memory card from each machine is delivered by hand to the Board of Elections office.
If you want to get a look at the results of the races we're following, look at the document below. We're updating it live and it should update every 5 minutes.
Click here to view the document in a separate window.
Onondaga County Clerk race one of the tightest in the region
One of the closest races around the region was the race for Onondaga County Clerk. Democrat Emily Essi holds a lead of just 83 votes over incumbent County Clerk Lisa Dell.
McMahon declares victory in Onondaga County Executive race
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon is declaring victory in his race for another term.
McMahon told the crowd at the Onondaga County Republican watch party, "We've been through a lot together these past four years."
The Republican was challenged by Democratic Onondaga County Legislator Bill Kinne.
McMahon called his victory "decisive," saying it sets a clear mandate going forward.
"This mandate is not about me. It's about you," he said. "It's about partnerships."
Sarah Compo Pierce wins Watertown mayoral race
The city of Watertown has elected its first woman mayor. Numbers from the Jefferson County Board of Elections show Councilwoman Sarah Compo Pierce beat fellow Councilwoman Lisa Ruggiero, 69.83% to 29.59%.
Compo Pierce ran a campaign focused on transparency in government. She also said improving the city's infrastructure is one of her top priorities, especially in the wake of Watertown's recent water crisis.
Compo Pierce takes over the seat from current Mayor Jeff Smith.
Things looking good for McMahon
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon appears well on his way to being elected for a second full term. There's still a lot of counting to do, but as of 10:30 p.m., McMahon's lead is already over 14,000 votes.
A look inside the Democrat and GOP parties in Syracuse
As the polls close, the Democratic and Republican watch parties in Onondaga County will start to fill in. WRVO's Ava Pukatch sent in a look at Nibsy's Pub in Syracuse, where Democrats are gathering.
Meanwhille, Onondaga County Republicans are celebrating at the Embassy Suites in Syracuse, near Destiny USA.
How is voter turnout with 2 hours to go?
Voter turnout for this year isn't going to be very good. It rarely is for so-called "local election years." The last local election year was 2021, where voter turnout was so bad in the city of Syracuse, it nearly broke the record for lowest voter turnout in an election.
So, how can we figure out what voter turnout is? Well, in Onondaga County, we know exactly how many registered voters there are.
Final registration numbers for Onondaga County
— Onondaga County BOE (@OCBOE) November 6, 2023
DEM 116,345
REP 82,354
CON 5,071
WFP 1,351
OTH 13,729
N/E 87,232
TOTLAL 306,082
Then if you take the number of votes cast so far, and divide by the total number of voters, you get a rough idea of voter turnout.
As of 6pm, we have had 63,896 Election Day voters in addition to 12680 Early Votes and 4368 returned Absentees for a total of 78527 voters so far. (unofficial) Polls are open until 9pm.
— Onondaga County BOE (@OCBOE) November 7, 2023
In Onondaga County, with 2 hours to go before polls close, voter turnout is running around 25%.
Early voting numbers in New York...weren't great
Early voting numbers are in for New York state, and they are low. Turnout varied depending on where some competitive races were held.
According to the New York State Board of Elections, just over 3% of voters cast their ballots during early voting, which ended Sunday.
The board’s Kathleen McGrath said that number is about the same as previous off-year elections that feature only local races.
“Early voting unofficially, we had just shy of 400,000 early voters in New York state over the nine days of early voting,” she said. “That is somewhat on par with 2021, the last year where there was just about 409,000.”
➡️ Keep reading
Onondaga County's early voting numbers were similar, at about 4% turnout. But Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny said in Onondaga County, the numbers were brisk.
“We had over 12,500 people partake in early voting, Czarny said. "Considering the last local year, 2021, we only had 9,700 that’s a good sign.”
➡️ Keep reading
There aren't many competitive races in Oswego County
If you live in Oswego County, you probably won't find a lot of contested races on your ballot this year. A large majority of county legislature races are unopposed. And after eight successful years as mayor of Oswego, Billy Barlow isn't running again because of term limits. The city council president, Rob Corradino, will be the new mayor since he is also running unopposed.
In Fulton, current Mayor Deana Michaels chose to not run for a second term. Republican Marissa Hanlon and Democrat Jim Rice are the major party candidates, with two third-party candidates also on the ballot.
Races from around Oneida County
There are a number of races from around Oneida County this Election Day. You can find a full list of results here.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, a Republican, is running for re-election against Michael Hennessey, who is running on the third-party "Term Limit Tax Cut" line.
In Rome, incumbent Mayor Jacqueline Izzo is running on the Conservative line against Jeffery Lanigan on the Republican and "Right for Rome" party lines.
Voters in Utica will be electing a new mayor for the first time in 12 years. Current Mayor Robert Palmieri isn't running for re-election because of term limits. There are three candidates running to replace Palmieri.
- Utica Common Councilor Celeste Friend won a June primary and is on the Democratic line.
- Michael Galime is the current president of the Utica Common Council and won the Republican primary in June.
- Robert Cardillo lost the Republican primary to Galime but remained in the race on the Conservative line.
Races from the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier
Here's a look at some other races from around parts of the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions, thanks to our friends at WSKG.
Ithaca residents will head to the polls to choose a new mayor.
Acting Mayor Laura Lewis is not seeking reelection. Voters will choose between Democrat and Working Families candidate Robert Cantelmo and Republican Janis Kelly.
After some major restructuring of the city governance by the common council, much of the traditional responsibilities of the mayor will be taken over by an appointed city manager. The next elected mayor will essentially act as head of the common council… including having a regular vote on the council.
➡️ Read more on races from Ithaca and across the Southern Tier.
Watertown residents will elect a new mayor
There are a number of races taking place across the North Country, but the biggest might be the race for mayor of Watertown.
Current Mayor Jeff Smith decided to not seek re-election this year. Two city councilors, Sarah Compo Pierce and Lisa Ruggiero are running and the winner will become the first female mayor in city history.
An Election Day tradition in Syracuse
Onondaga County voters and candidates are enjoying lunch at Our Lady of Pompeii’s 74th Annual Election Day Spaghetti Dinner.
Volunteers have prepared 6,000 meatballs for the event on North McBride St.
Meals are available for eat-in, takeout, curbside pickup and delivery and are available until 7 p.m.
Preparing the voting machines for Election Day is thorough and bipartisan
Getting voting machines ready for Election Day takes a lot of preparation and effort. It's much more than just turning the machine on. The machines have to be prepared, inspected, tested and made sure they remain secure up until voting begins.
That job falls to county elections officials. North Country Public Radio's Catherine Wheeler visited the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections to see how they were preparing the machines for Election Day.
Some changes coming to the Syracuse Common Council next year
No matter who wins today's races, there will be a few changes coming to the Syracuse Common Council next year.
There are three candidates running for two at-large seats on the Council, including current councilors Rita Paniagua and Chol Majok. Majok currently serves as the District 3 councilor, but decided to run for an at-large seat this year.
In Majok's current 3rd District, Democrat Corey Williams, a first-time candidate, is running against Republican Woodruff Carroll.
➡️ Read more about the District 3 race
In District 4, Democrat Patrona Jones-Rowser is running against Hasahn Bloodworth, who is running on the independent "Rebirth Syracuse" line.
➡️ Read more about the District 4 race
In District 5, Jimmy Monto is unopposed on the Democrat and Working Families lines, but current District 1 councilor Jen Schultz launched a write-in campaign late in the race.
➡️ Read more
Will Bill Fitzpatrick win his 9th, and likely last term as Onondaga County DA?
Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick is looking for a ninth, and likely final term in office. But he has two challengers in his way.
Democrat Chuck Keller is running for the second straight time. He lost to Fitzpatrick in 2019 by about 14,000 votes.
Christine Varga is running on the Conservative line. But, not because she's against Fitzpatrick. The county Conservative Party endorsed Keller earlier this year, and rather than see Keller get the designation, Varga challenged him in a primary. She won by nearly 60 percentage points.
➡️ Keep reading
Oneida County Polling Site Change
The Oneida County Board of Elections announced a polling site change due to the campus lockdown at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica.
Voters whose Election Day precinct is MVCC Utica will now vote at Utica Fire Department Station 3.
"The Oneida County Board of Elections is taking immediate action to ensure the continuity of our democratic process in response to an unforeseen emergency," Democratic Deputy Commissioner Amela Hrustic said. "As a result of an emergency lockdown, the polling site originally designated at Mohawk Valley Community College will be immediately relocated to Utica Fire Department Station 3. The decision to move the polling site has been made in consultation with local authorities, and it is essential to ensure that all eligible voters in the affected districts have the opportunity to cast their ballots."
Polls are open until 9 p.m.
There are only a handful of contested races for Onondaga County Legislature this year
There are 17 members of the Onondaga County Legislature. All 17 seats are up for election, but only five of those races are contested. The rest are unopposed.
It's a stark contrast to 2021 when Onondaga County Democrats tried to 'Flip the Leg' and failed to gain any seats.
The race for Onondaga County Executive
Perhaps the biggest race this election season is the race for Onondaga County Executive. Republican Ryan McMahon is running for a second full term, and he has been touting his accomplishments throughout the campaign, including the arrival of Micron in central New York.
But standing in McMahon's way is Democratic county legislator Bill Kinne, who says he doesn't like the way the county is being run.
➡️ Keep reading
Don't forget to flip your ballot over when you vote
If you're planning to vote today, remember to turn your ballot over and read the back. There are two statewide ballot propositions on the ballot this year. Here's what they say:
PROPOSAL NUMBER ONE, AN AMENDMENT
REMOVAL OF SMALL CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM SPECIAL CONSTITUTIONAL DEBT LIMITATION
The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 4 of the Constitution removes the special constitutional debt limitation now placed on small city school districts, so they will be treated the same as all other school districts. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?
PROPOSAL NUMBER TWO, AN AMENDMENT
EXTENDING SEWAGE PROJECT DEBT EXCLUSION FROM DEBT LIMIT
The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 5 of the Constitution extends for ten years the authority of counties, cities, towns, and villages to remove from their constitutional debt limits debt for the construction of sewage facilities. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?
So, what do these questions really mean? WRVO's Capitol correspondent Karen DeWitt broke it down for us.
➡️ Read more on the statewide ballot proposals here
In the city of Syracuse, voters will find a third ballot proposition related to the City Auditor. Here's what it says:
City of Syracuse Proposition One
Local Law - of the City of Syracuse to amend Sections 5-503 entitled “Scope of Audits” and Section 5-505 Entitled “Legal Counsel”, of the city charter as detailed in the legislation.” Adopted by the Syracuse Common Council on 4-10-23. Which Local Law will increase transparency and accountability between Governing bodies and the Citizens of Syracuse, by clarifying the scope of audits conducted by the City Auditor and, subject to Common Council approval, permitting the City Auditor to retain independent legal counsel?
WRVO's Ava Pukatch told us more about that proposal.
➡️ Read more about the ballot proposal in the city of Syracuse
Polls are open across New York
Polls are open across New York for this year's elections, and will stay open until 9 p.m. Remember, if you are in line at 9 p.m., you can still vote.
If you have any questions about voting, the NYS Attorney General's office has put together this list of FAQs. And if you have trouble voting, or encounter any issues at a polling place, you can call 1-866-390-2992, or fill out this online form.
Election Day is here
Welcome to WRVO's Election Day live blog! Here's what you can expect to see through the day and into the evening when the polls close at 9 p.m.
- Throughout the day, we'll recap some of the bigger races we'll be covering around central and northern New York.
- We'll also hear from WRVO reporters, who will be out covering the results, the winners, the losers, and any voting issues that come up around the region.
- Once the polls close, we'll be updating the numbers on a lot of races from around the region.
Stay with us through the day and into the evening for the latest.