More Than 150,000 Votes Cast Early In Western New York

As people all over the Empire State are getting ready to go to the voting polls for the 2026 midterm elections, quite a few people in New York have already taken advantage of the ability to cast their vote early.

Preliminary totals from the State Board of Elections show that counties all over New York have received just over 2 million votes already. Between early mail-in ballots and early votes cast during the early voting period that ran from October 24th through November 1st, nearly 16% of New York's 13 and 1/2 million voters have turned out already.

More than 150,000 of those votes have come from right here in Western New York.

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Data shared from the State Board of Elections show the following unofficial and preliminary early and mail-in vote totals from Western New York as of early in the morning on Monday, November 2, 2026:

• Allegany County - 3,083
• Cattaraugus County - 4,603
• Chautauqua County - 12,911
• Erie County - 110,981
• Genesee County - 4,978
• Niagara County - 22,475
• Orleans County - 3,190
• Wyoming County - 2,314

This is pretty encouraging data for those who are interested in seeing higher voter turnout. Most non-Presidential years have pretty low voter participation across the nation. The last mid-term, non-Presidential election that happened was in 2022, which saw just under 6 million New Yorkers vote, which amounted to an approximate voter turnout of around 44%.

With so many offices and issues on the ballot this year, hopefully New Yorkers turn out and cast their vote and choose the leaders of their communities. We're just going to have to wait until Election Day to find out.

We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.
–Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States & 1st United States Secretary of State