Approaching the April 19 New York state presidential primary, the number of registered voters in Onondaga County is quickly rising.

Onondaga County Board of Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny projects there will be at least 30,000 new people registered to vote in Onondaga County this year. That uptick is to be expected in a presidential year, he said. Additionally, it is expected that the number of voters who participate in this year’s election will rise, Czarny said.

In January of this year alone, there were 2,700 new registrations, according to the Board of Elections.

In contrast, throughout the entirety of 2015 — a non-presidential election year — there were about 10,500 new registered voters in Onondaga county, Czarny said.

Czarny said that because of excitement that circulates during the presidential election year, people are driven to vote. The numbers of those arriving on Election Day in Onondaga County may more than triple this year compared to a non-presidential election year, according to CNY Central.

This is high in comparison to local election years, Czarny said. But he added that it is difficult to compare this number to other presidential election years because the date of the New York state primary moved from February to April beginning in 2012.

Despite the charged political climate, Czarny said, people are not voting more or less because of this particular race. In general, people vote more in presidential election years, he said.

Total registrations amounted to 284,920 in 2008, but fell to 270,214 in 2012, according to county statistics on the Board of Elections website.

This may not be indicative of who the candidates are so much as it is indicative of the environment of the specific county observed, said Grant Reeher, political science professor at Syracuse University, in an email.

Reeher said that although the number of total registered voters changes from year to year, the change does not necessarily reflect the voting atmosphere.

Central New York’s population has fallen as of late, Reeher said. He said this makes the area “polluted” by the effects of new people arriving and others leaving the area. This, Reeher said, could increase voter registration.

Elections always generate activity and excitement, Czarny said, but he added that multiple things may add to the buzz this year, he said.

One addition may be that this this year there is no incumbent, which gives people a reason to pay more attention, he said. But he noted that this doesn’t have to do with a specific candidate.

Another reason voter registration is increasing in the county could be business mogul Donald Trump’s roots in New York City, or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s former position as a New York state senator, Czarny said.

During local county elections, the county tends to lean toward candidates of the Republican Party, Czarny said, but when it comes to national elections, the pendulum swings to the left.

For instance, in the past several years, constituents of Onondaga County have voted almost exclusively for Democratic senators, governors and presidents, Czarny said.

Czarny said the county has been getting “bluer and bluer” while getting bigger.

This shift in party leanings has occurred over a series of years, Reeher said, which reflects demographic changes.

Published on February 16, 2016 at 11:28 pm

Contact Tara: trtolton@syr.edu