Countdown to Election Day Tuesday, November 3rd!

photos by : The Challenger, Street Legacy, Unique Visions Photography

Community Turns Out In Record Numbers  for  the first Day of Early Voting which continues October 29,30,31 & Nov. 1 The final day to vote is on General Election Day Tuesday November 3

The community showed up and showed out on the first day of Early Voting last Saturday. 

Despite overcast skies and  a 30 plus degree drop  in temperature,  people of all ages waited patiently in line – some up to  2 and 3 hours- to cast their vote. The scene at the Delavan-Grider Community  Center was awesome; reminiscent of the consciousness and determination we saw during the Civil Rights era “back in the day”  as voters  lined up from the front door, around the block, to the rear of the building.

Even before the polls opened the community began celebrating and gearing   up to make their vote count. The Black Farmers Market, WUFO and  Ujamaa Vendors Village UNITY VOTE CAR PARADE kicked off in MLK Park featuring the  African American Cultural Center Drummers and Dancers 

The parade continued  to   Johnnie B. Wiley Stadium  and from there to Broadway & Michigan at historian  Eva Doyle’s “Vote Billboard” and  the African Heritage Corridor Archway. The final destination was  St Columba-Brigid Church on Hickory Street where Early Voting took place. The caravan then   returned  to Wiley Stadium for a celebration.

The  Coalition for Economic Justice  sponsored a “Souls to The Polls CommUNITY Early Voting March”     starting at 3297 Bailey Ave  and proceeding  to  the Gloria J. Parks Community Center, 3242 Main St.   where residents  cast their votes.

-Record Numbers-

The Erie County Board of Elections announced that 14,724 ballots were cast on the first day of early voting Saturday, Oct. 24.

On Sunday, Oct. 25,  13,262 ballots were cast on the second day, bringing the total  numbers from Saturday and Sunday,   to  28,214 ballots .

By comparison, there were 26,514 ballots cast in Erie County for all nine days of early voting in the 2019 general election. 

The two-day combined early voting total of 28,214 constitutes 4.5% of Erie County’s nearly 630,000 registered voters.

The final Early Voting total has yet to be counted, as early voting does not end until this Sunday.

Erie County has 37 early voting locations, and voters may use any site regardless of address. For a full list, go to www.elections.erie.gov.

Weekday Early Voting poll hours are noon to 9 p.m. now thru November 1. Weekend hours are noon to 6 pm.

-Vote Like Your Life Depends On It-

NPR reported last week that African American voters made up a larger share of early voters than in 2016. More than six times as many Black voters have voted early this year than had at the same point in the last presidential election, according to TargetSmart.

A survey of voters revealed that many felt this year’s presidential election was the most important of their lifetime – even moreso than in 2008 when African Americans went to the polls in record numbers to elect Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president. Trump is viewed by many African Americans as a racist who has failed to disavow White supremacists or the police killings of unarmed Blacks. Thus the driving force for many is not so much the Democratic candidate, but the goal of removing the current president. Historically, many point to history which notes the countless Blacks who  fought, suffered and died so that Blacks today could have the right to vote.

-National Numbers-

NBC reports that the number of early voters could hit 90 million to 100 million before November 3 

Early Voting Continues Now Thru Sunday November 1 General Election Day is Tuesday November

•Early Voting  hours are 12 noon to 9 p.m. weekdays (Mon. – Fri.)  and noon to 6 p.m. weekends (Sat. & Sun.)

•There are 10 sites in the City of Buffalo, including one for each city council district in addition to the Erie County Board of Elections office located at 134 W. Eagle Street. There is one site for each city and town in Erie County outside of Buffalo.

•Voters may cast ballots at any location regardless of their address. Early voting sites are also drop-off points for absentee ballots.

•The locations and all other early voting info may be viewed online at: https://elections.erie.gov/Early-Voting

Tuesday Nov. 3 is General Election Day and your last chance to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election! On that day go to your regular polling place which opens from 6 a.m. -9 p.m. 

Here’s Where You Can Vote Early  in the City of Buffalo 

•Erie County Board of Elections -134 W. Eagle Street

•Buffalo Community Development Center – 203 Sanders Road 

•Lincoln Field House – 10 Quincy Street

•Hennepin Center – 24 Ludington Street              

•Delavan Grider Community Center- 877 E. Delavan Avenue

•Salvation Army  960 Main Street

•West Side Community Center B – 187 Grant Street

•Northwest Buffalo Community Center – 155 Lawn Avenue

•Tosh Collins Community Center – 35 Cazenovia Street

•Gloria J. Parks Community Center – 3242 Main Street.

•St Columba-Brigid, RC – 75 Hickory Street

•Lincoln Field House – 10 Quincy Street.

 

NIAGARA FALLS EARLY VOTING SITES & TIMES

•Saint John De LaSalle Center – 8469 Buffalo Avenue, Niagara Falls NY 14304

*site is accessible to voters with physical disabilities

•Cornell Cooperative Extension (Niagara County Fair Grounds), 4487 Lake Ave., Lockport

*site is accessible to voters with physical disabilities

The sites listed for early voting are open to all registered voters in Niagara County. Remaining Early Voting dates and times are as follows:

Thursday, October 29 – 7:00am to 3:00pm

Friday, October 30 – 7:00am to 3:00pm

Saturday, October 31- 10:00am to 3:00pm

Sunday, November 1- 10:00am to 3:00pm

For more information  contact the Niagara County Board Elections, 111 Main  St.,  Niagara Falls,  716) 438-4041 (Democrat) or (716) 438-4040 (Republican).

 

ROCHESTER EARLY VOTING DATES AND TIMES

Early Voting continues now thru Sunday, Nov. 1 for the following dates and times:

Thursday, October 29, 2020: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday, October 30, 2020: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, October 31, 2020: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Sunday, November 1, 2020: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Locations for Early Voting include:

David F. Gantt Community Center – 700 North St, Rochester, NY 14605

City of Rochester Recreation Bureau – 2nd Floor, 57 St Paul St, Rochester, NY 14604

Genesee Valley Field House – 1316 Genesee St, Rochester, NY 14611

Edgerton Recreation Center – 41 Backus St, Rochester, NY 14608

SUNY Empire State College – 680 Westfall Rd, Rochester, NY 14620

Town of Chili Senior Center – 3235 Chili Ave, Rochester, NY 14624

North Greece Road Church of Christ – 1039 N Greece Rd, Rochester, NY 14626

Marketplace Mall (North Entrance) – 1 Miracle Mile Dr, Rochester, NY 14623

Irondequoit Public Library – 1290 Titus Ave, Rochester, NY 14617

Harris-Whalen Park Lodge – 2126 Penfield Rd, Penfield, NY 14526

Perinton Square Mall – 6720 Pittsford Palmyra Rd, Fairport, NY 14450

Webster Recreation Center – 1350 Chiyoda Dr, Webster, NY 14580