The Chautauqua County Board of Elections closed its election rolls this week for the Nov. 6 vote pursuant to New York State election law and announced that 78,167 voters will be eligible to cast a ballot.
Breaking down the 2012 tally finds 27,204 Democrats, 26,119 Republicans and 24,844 voters declaring no political party or minor party affiliation. Of the nearly 80,000 voters, the Board of Elections expects about a 70% voter turn out for the presidential year election.
For comparison, the 2008 presidential cycle saw 82,150 registered voters broken down by 29,731 Democrats, 27,720 Republicans and 24,699 voters declaring no political party or minor party affiliation.
In 2008, Barack Obama carried the vote in Chautauqua County with 60,087 voters turning out and the Obama ticket garnering 29,129 votes vs. John McCain's candidacy winning 28,579 votes. The election saw a 73 percent voter turnout.
"We find that just one third of the voters in off year or local year elections turn out to vote in Chautauqua County," said Election Commissioner Norman P. Green. "We are now preparing for our once in four-year tsunami."
