CNY State Delegation Ready To Force Onondaga County To Add Early Voting Sites

Central New York’s delegation of state lawmakers is stepping up pressure on Onondaga County elections officials to add more early voting sites.  The county has had six sites for the past two years, and Senator John Mannion says that leaves large areas of the county without reasonable access.

"How did we end up with the number 6? Well, it's the absolute minimum number of early voting sites in Onondaga County as required by law.  In fact, Onondaga County has the fewest early voting sites of any of the state's large counties."

Mannion says last year, there were long lines and long waits, proving that the option was popular.  Assemblymember Al Stirpe says he and his wife experienced it firsthand when they voted in Dewitt.

"It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to vote.  During that period, we saw people pull up, look at the line, turn around and leave.  Hopefully, they went somewhere else and voted, or voted on election day, but you don't know that for sure."

The lawmakers gathered at Onondaga Community College Thursday, one of four proposed new polling sites in the county, which would bring the total to 10. 

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