Strong Turnout in Non-Presidential Election Year

Fayetteville, N.Y. (DIA)- In a non-presidential election year, voting numbers can often be low, however at Fayetteville Free Library, a voting center in Fayetteville, it’s been the complete opposite. Voting numbers have been incredibly high, at the time of interview, almost 1000 of 2000 possible voters had come and cast their ballots. For James Alibrandi, a resident of the area, this wasn’t an election he could pass up.

“I feel like we should go out and vote and support who we feel will do a good job running everything” said Alibrandi.

This sentiment isn’t unique to Alibrandi either. An Election Judge of eight years said this was one of the best turnouts she’s ever seen, only rivaled by 2020’s presidential election. The library was over ran by voters, with the election judges saying that there has rarely been breaks throughout the entire day. Busses of seniors escorting them to vote, along with a steady stream of both young and old voters have inhabited the space throughout the day, with the judges saying that it has been more than they have ever experienced.

This is the first election since 2015  in the 24th district where Katko’s seat is being ran for unopposed. Katko, a republican, has held the seat for seven years, but announced recently he was retiring, allowing for a possible flip. While incumbents often win reelection, with Katko retiring, this has essentially created an open race, and it seems voters are eager to cast their ballot in high numbers to try to win this seat for their party and candidate of choice.

For Alibrandi, a voter that primarily only votes every four years, this race has changed his mind.

“I think things are starting to change, not necessarily in a good way,” said Alibrandi. “I would like to support candidates every couple of years and vote when I can.”

Alibrandi spoke heavily about how the changes across the board across the last couple of years has changed his stance on how often he wanted to vote. Similar to many other voters, both of the election judges along with Alibrandi spoke heavily on how voters want to have their voices heard, especially in these last couple years. The judges spoke heavily on seeing new faces, and how this unexpected turnout has been more than just a return of consistent voters, but rather a wave of new voters sweeping through the sphere.

For, Alibrandi and nearly 1000 others in this district, voting has skyrocketed, and if his statement is true, it doesn’t look like we’ll see a dip anytime soon.