BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The chairs of the local democratic and republican parties will let the candidates decide whether or not to claim victory or concede their election on Tuesday night.
While many voters locally opted for in-person voting, be it early voting or on Election Day, there are many people who chose to fill out an absentee ballot. Those absentee ballots will not all be counted on Election Day, meaning close races could ultimately be determined by mail-in votes.
"We're asking them to use common sense," Jeremy Zellner, Chairman of the Erie County Democrats, said. "If the race is too close to call, then no one's going to declare victory. If the race is a wide margin and/or they know that the locations out there with absentee ballots are highly democratic or they've canvassed them hard, then maybe that's something they want to do. Our candidates are not itching to declare victory immediately. We all want every single vote counted and for everyone's voice to be heard."
Both local democrats and republicans are taking a similar approach.
"The numbers are going to tell us what's going to happen on election night," Karl Simmeth, Chairman of the Erie County Republicans, said. "If it looks like it's going to be a big landslide victory, then that's what it is. It might be close. We don't know. I'm going to leave it up to the candidates if they want to declare victory or not or if they want to concede...There's some solid republicans out there and most republicans are going to come and vote on election day."
Nearly 168,000 people cast an early vote in Erie County. However, thousands more voters are expected to show up to the polls on Tuesday for Election Day.
More than 96,000 people requested an absentee vote. As of Monday, there were 76,699 people who returned an absentee ballot to the Erie County Board of Elections.
"We're going to have some close races," Simmeth said. "We'll know more on Election Day on what the numbers are going to tell us."
With the exception of tight races, most races are typically called on Election Night. Simmeth said he hopes that this is the only year where it's drawn out.
"I don't think its fair to voters," Simmeth said. "I don't think it's fair to candidates. I feel Election Day is Election Day...It's only fair we have a winner on Election Day."
Zellner said 2020 may be an abnormality but noted if the state passes no-excuse absentee balloting, we should expect future elections to follow a similar path to 2020.
"We've got to wait (three) days to start counting (absentee ballots)," Zellner said. "Unless something changes with election law, that's what we have to do."
November 10 is the last day that postmarked absentee ballots need to be received by local board of elections. November 16 is the last day for military and overseas ballots can be received.
