Onondaga County early voting continues at DeWitt despite outage

A power outage at DeWitt Town Hall did not stop early voting in Onondaga County, where a battery backup kept the courtroom site operating and county elections officials said 2,069 people had checked in so far. At the DeWitt site, the county’s wait-time page showed less than a minute, a sign that voting remained steady even as the outage tested one of the county’s busiest polling places.

The DeWitt Town Hall Courtroom, at 5400 Butternut Dr. in East Syracuse, is one of eight early voting locations open for the June 23 primary. Onondaga County says voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site in the county, giving residents flexibility if one location becomes crowded or develops a problem. For the final stretch before primary day, the county listed early voting hours for June 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and June 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

County officials also posted a wait-time page for early voters, but it only updates when a site is reporting a delay longer than five minutes. That matters because primary traffic is usually light, even at DeWitt. The county’s page listed the DeWitt Town Hall Courtroom at under 1 minute, suggesting the outage had not produced a major backup at the site.

Turnout had already been strong. More than 1,400 ballots were cast in the first four days of early voting as of June 17, and the county later said 2,069 voters had checked in. This year carries extra weight because 2026 is the first year federal, state and local races appear on a single ballot under New York’s even-year election law. The most closely watched contests in Onondaga County are among Democrats, including races for state comptroller, county legislature and Syracuse Common Council.

Eligibility remains limited in Onondaga County’s primary. Only voters registered with a political party that has a primary in their city or town may vote early. Anyone who votes during early voting cannot vote again on Election Day.

DeWitt and Clay Town Hall have long been among the county’s busiest early voting sites, with earlier reporting showing waits of 20 to 40 minutes depending on the time of day. In a previous early voting cycle, some voters at DeWitt began lining up two hours early. For now, the county says the backup system kept DeWitt open, and voters still have several days and eight locations countywide to cast a primary ballot before June 23.