×

County voting trend continues

Chautauqua County was, once again, quite prophetic. Though many pundits believed there was an outside chance Donald Trump could win the election for president, many more believed the weekend before the vote Hillary Clinton already had it won.

Rural voters, across the country however, would not allow it to happen. As urban areas voted heavily in favor of Clinton, Trump was winning in the suburbs and outlying areas.

It was a jarring result for many that has led to protests across the nation — and even locally here on the State University of New York at Fredonia campus, at right.

On the morning of Nov. 6, an OBSERVER article noted Chautauqua County had a fairly consistent record in terms of who was going to win the presidency — voting for the winner in nine of the last 11 elections. “I always tell people we’re more Ohio than we are New York,” said Norman Green, Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner. “This county is ticket splitters; they’re not afraid to vote (across party lines down their ballots). What that means is you’ve got a lot of intelligent people. That’s just who we are.”

To no one’s surprise, New York state went to Clinton. However, like Ohio, Chautauqua County voted — with 58 percent — for Trump.

What happens next is worth watching. A great number believe those who voted for Trump are fed up with the direction America has been heading. Ours has become a more sympathetic country that more interested in handouts than helping out.

Trump, unlike Clinton, is the anti-establishment. That certainly resonated with many voters here and across the nation.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today