By CRAIG FREILICH

St. Lawrence County’s elections commissioners disagree as to whether early voting up to two weeks before Election Day is a good idea.

Democratic Elections Commissioner Jenny Bacon favors the idea, saying it will give more people the opportunity to participate in voting. “Anything that opens a chance for voters is good,” she said.

Republican Elections Commissioner Tom Nichols says it would add to the county’s expenses while the existing absentee ballot program could accomplish the same thing. “I think it would be a redundant attempt at addressing a problem we already have a solution for,” and that is absentee ballots, he said.

The state Assembly has approved a bill that would provide for a 15-day period before general elections, and eight days before special elections and primaries, when people could vote at one of up to five polling stations per county, including on weekend days. A similar measure, however, is expected to face opposition in the state Senate.

Proponents say the plan would draw more people into the process while shortening the waiting time for voters standing in line to cast their ballots on Election Day.

“Will it cost more money? Yes,” Bacon said, “but anything that can increase voter turnout I’m in favor of.”

Critics of the measure say it would add expense, and would not offer an opportunity for someone to change a vote if a candidate made some serious stumble or some other circumstance occurred between the time the vote was cast and Election Day.

“If something is to be gained I want to hear what it is,” said Nichols. “But if we have the same results we have now, what’s the benefit?”

Bacon said if early voting were implemented, “it would be important for it to be spread out around the county, not centered on Canton. One location would not be sufficient. But five locations throughout the county would be good.”

She said another benefit of early voting is “people who vote early won’t be added to the load on Election Day lines.”

She added, “With every great thing comes a cost. People are looking at the cost, but everything has a cost.”

While Nichols believes early voting can be handled through the established absentee ballot system, Bacon says she believes that the number of voters would not be substantially increased by using absentee ballots for early voters, “the majority of which are permanently disabled people.”

For those who ask for them, “we work hard to get absentee ballots out earlier than the requirement,” Nichols said. “That gives people an opportunity to vote early at much lower cost” than staffing five polling stations for two weeks would take.

Nichols says he understands the motive behind the proposal, and that is the Assembly is embarrassed by the fact that voter turnout in New York ranks 47th in the nation.

“People already have the right to vote early. But out of the 46 states ahead of us, some have early voting and some do not, so there’s no guarantee of higher turnout.”

“It’s an effort to throw money at a problem,” Nichols said.

“We need to examine the problem” of low voter turnout,” Nichols said.

“Here, I think it’s voter apathy due to the feeling that upstate can’t outvote downstate, which is wrong. Many people are frustrated with the system and have given up hope. Early voting won’t change that.

“If we can convince people that every vote counts –Democratic, Republican, Conservative, Independence, etc. – if people feel they are making a difference, the vote count will go up again.

“Every year we push the absentee ballot option for those who can’t get to the polls on Election Day,” and that can continue, Nichols said.