Time is almost up for those wanting to take part in what some have called the most important presidential election in recent history.

Voter registration ends Friday for the state of New York, but election officials in Onondaga County say they have already seen a record number of people registering.

‘Overall we have a far higher number of registries than expected,’ said Edward Szczesniak, board of elections commissioner for Onondaga County.

Szczesniak said the reason for the registration increase is the close race between the two presidential candidates, George Bush and John Kerry. High numbers such as these are usually tied to competitive races with a lot of media attention.

With less than two days to complete registration, Szczesniak said the key for Syracuse University students is to determine what their permanent address is, either on campus, or in their hometown. If students choose to vote from their hometown, whether it is out of state or not, they need to request an absentee ballot and have it completed and mailed at least seven days prior to Election Day, Szczesniak said.

‘Registration is only half the battle,’ Szczesniak said. ‘The other half is you have to be there on Election Day or ask for an absentee ballot.’

Eligible voters in Onondaga County can register to vote in any local post office or download a form from ongov.net. Those in Onondaga County who miss the Friday still have a chance to register on Saturday at the Onondaga election office.

Paul Collins, a political science professor at Syracuse University, said young voters ages 18-24 historically do not show up at the polls. But this year’s election could be different.

‘I’m expecting an increase,’ Collins said. ‘I think it will be a function of two things: the get-out-the-vote drives, and the fact that the country is more divided.’

In the 2000 presidential election, 36.1 percent of 18- to 24-year-old eligible voters came to the polls, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

By Election Day, Onondaga County usually receives approximately 12,000 absentee ballots, but Szczesniak said they expect to receive closer to 14,000 this year based on the amount that have already come in. So far about 7,900 ballots have arrived, which Szczesniak said is a strong indicator that turnout on Election Day will be much higher than usual.

Onondaga County’s voter turnout and registration rates are traditionally higher than the national average. Szczesniak said of the approximately 340,000 eligible voters in Onondaga, 299,000 are registered. In the 2000 election, 77 percent of the county’s registered vote participated in the election.

Despite these statistics, Collins said it is still hard to tell what voter turnout will be this year.

‘Until Election Day comes, you really don’t know,’ he said.

Published on October 6, 2004 at 12:00 pm