🗳️Early voting in Dutchess and Putnam ran 67 percent above 2022 ahead of Election Day

If you're voting today, you're in good company. The number of Dutchess and Putnam residents who cast early ballots through Sunday, Nov. 1, was 67 percent higher than in the 2022 midterms, according to the state Board of Elections. In Putnam, nine days of early voting ended Sunday with 14,024 voters, the Board of Elections reported. Commissioner Cathy Croft said that's about 20 percent of the 73,000 voters eligible to cast ballots today.

Dutchess rose 69 percent and Putnam 61 percent. The pandemic likely held down in-person voting in 2022, but the Highlands Current says the figures suggest strong interest in this year's races. Putnam's total was more than three times last year's 4,712, though it fell short of 2024's presidential-year count.

• Registered voters: 204,858 in Dutchess, 72,796 in Putnam
• Registered voters in both counties are up about 4 percent since 2022
• 2022 final turnout: 57 percent in Dutchess, 60 percent in Putnam
• Putnam early sites: Carmel and the American Legion Hall in Cold Spring