Chautauqua County — and much of America — has responded like never before when it comes to voting this year. Thousands of absentee and mail-in ballots have been sent out by the Board of Elections while Early Voting has been a downright hit.

Since Oct. 24, more than 25% of the normal voting total has cast their ballot at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk, Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood and the Board of Elections offices in the Hall R. Clothier Building in Mayville.

In fact, on Monday, Election Commissioners Norman P. Green and Brian C. Abram announced that 14,279 voters cast ballots this year at the county’s three early voting poll sites. In addition, the Board of Elections has also received 11,901 applications for absentee ballots and 9,545 of the absentees have been returned, with a deadline for receipt of seven days after the election for ballots postmarked not later than Election Day.

If you have not yet voted, numerous polling sites across the county will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. today. It could be one of the most exciting election nights and we may not know who wins until all the ballots are counted.