Election 2024 live updates for the Cayuga County area: Polls are closed, counting has begun
The polls are closed in New York, and counting has begun in the races for president, Congress and more this Election Day.
The Citizen will be posting live updates here throughout the night, including results as they come in for the following major local races:
For more detailed vote counts, be sure to check out our live results page here :
Complete, up-to-the-minute results for every contested race in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.
Live updates on Election Day in the Cayuga County area:
: The Cayuga County Republican Committee is holding its election night party at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn.
Assemblyman John Lemondes was in attendance. Caleb Slater, who is running in the 48th Senate District, is there now.
: The line to vote is out the door at the Casey Park polling location in Auburn. Polls close at 9 p.m., but anyone in line at that point will still be able to vote.
: State Sen. Rachel May is doing some final get-out-the-vote work in Auburn. She told The Citizen she's feeling good about her reelection chances in the 48th Senate District, which includes Auburn and Cayuga County. A voter driving by recognized her. She told May she voted for her, and asked her to "please protect our lake."
: Moravia poll worker Terry Palmer told The Citizen the turnout there is high, with more than 300 people by 2 p.m. That's higher than normal for a general election, Palmer said, and would be even higher if not for early voting.
: Add state Sen. John Mannion, D-Geddes, to the list of candidates who visited Auburn polling places today. Mannion, who is challenging Republican Congressman Brandon Williams in the 22nd Congressional District race, stopped at Auburn Alliance Church, according to his campaign.
: Workers at the polling location at Sacred Heart Church in Owasco told The Citizen it's been busy there today, with a steady stream of voters so far.
: According to the Cayuga County Board of Elections, 8,276 people voted by noon today. Combined with the early voting count, 42.5% of Cayuga County voters have cast their ballots in person. And there are still eight hours to go until the polls close.
: Keith Batman, Democratic elections commissioner in Cayuga County, told The Citizen that Election Day has been going "surprisingly well."
There were scanner issues at two polling locations in Brutus and Genoa, but those have been resolved. Turnout is strong. The elections board will provide an update shortly.
Batman said there was a complaint about electioneering at Auburn Alliance Church. Democratic candidates have signs near the driveway to the church, which is one of the citywide polling locations. There was a measurement and the signs are more than 100 feet away from the polling place.
Electioneering is prohibited within 100 feet of a polling place.
: Kristin Garland, an associate Auburn City Court judge who is running for Cayuga County Family Court judge, delivers breakfast pizza to the poll workers at Fingerlakes Mall in Aurelius.
Garland told The Citizen that she's exceptionally proud of her campaign and is hoping voters recognize her experience. If she wins, she will be the first woman elected to serve as a county judge and only the third woman elected to a countywide office.
Before stopped by the mall voting site, Garland spent part of the morning in Moravia dodging the rain and delivering campaign literature to voters.
: Ian Phillips delivered Camerons doughnuts to poll workers at Auburn Alliance Church. There was a break in the action there, but turnout was strong in the first 90 minutes after the polls opened.
: Ian Phillips, a Democrat challenging Republican Assemblyman John Lemondes in the 126th Assembly District, spoke at Democratic headquarters in downtown Auburn. His campaign staff and volunteers were preparing to head out to deliver campaign literature to voters.
"We ran this campaign as a little bit of an experiment — an experiment in building community first and the belief that if we stayed positive and used this campaign to build our community up that good things would happen," Phillips said.
Phillips' campaign slogan is, "What's the best that could happen?"
In his speech, Phillips said he's confident he will win. If that happens, "the work continues."
"We're going to win and then we're going to work for a better tomorrow for our community, our kids, our grandkids and for five generations, seven generations into the future."
: Cayuga County Family Court judge candidate Steven Buschman votes at the Auburn Public Safety Building. After successfully submitting his ballot, he said, "It won't be a shutout." Buschman was among the first voters at the Seminary Street fire station, one of four citywide polling locations. He had to wait in line — turnout is already looking good on Election Day. Buschman was joined by Roberta Williams, his mentor and senior partner of WHMB P.C., where Buschman is also a senior partner.
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