A voting sign is seen at the North Elba Town House on Saranac Lake on Tuesday. (Company Photo: Andy Flynn)

SARANAC LAKE — More than 11,000 votes had already been cast between Franklin and Essex counties, through early voting and by mail, before polls opened Tuesday, according to the two counties’ boards of elections.

Essex County reported that 4,019 early in-person votes had been cast and that the board had received 2,024 completed mail-in ballots as of 2 p.m. Monday, according to Jen Fifield, Democratic deputy commissioner of the Board of Elections.

The numbers, along with Election Day votes, are not official until the Board of Elections certifies them after the election. While unofficial, early in-person voting is final for both counties, as Sunday was the last day of that voting period. Mailed numbers are not final, as boards will continue to accept ballots postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 5, or delivered in person at a polling station or board of elections office, according to Eric Barney. the Democratic deputy commissioner of the Franklin County Board of Elections.

None of the results are published until after the polls close on Election Day. However, officials can provide figures of how many people have voted each day and what their political party affiliations are.

Essex County

Early in-person voting was cast along the following partisan lines, according to Fifield.

– Democrat: 1,657

– Republican: 1,398

– Unaffiliated: 731

– Other parties: 233

The mail-in votes, which include both absentee votes, were cast along the following partisan lines, according to Fifield.

– Democrat: 812

– Republican: 718

– Unaffiliated: 399

– Other matches: 95

In the 2020 general election, a total of 19,479 votes were cast in Essex County.

Essex County voters had two locations to vote early in person: Lake Placid and Lewis. Of the two sites, 2,375 votes were cast in Lake Placid and 1,644 in Lewis, according to Fifield. Registered voters can cast their ballot anywhere no matter where in Essex County they live.

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Franklin County

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Franklin County Board of Elections officials did not provide an updated partisan breakdown of votes as of press time, but said 3,378 early in-person votes had been cast at the county’s only early voting center in Malone, according to Barney . The board had received 2,263 completed mail-in ballots as of the end of Sunday, he added.

On Thursday, Oct. 31, Franklin County Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Tracy Sparks said the partisan divide was nearly split in in-person early voting, which numbered 1,794 as of Wednesday, Oct. 30. led early in-person voting, with 859 votes cast versus 852 for Republican-affiliated voters. Unaffiliated voters had cast 389 votes and voters registered with a variety of third parties totaled 44.

At that time, the board had received 1,734 completed mail-in ballots, according to Sparks. Democrats accounted for 787 to Republicans’ 540. Unaffiliated voters had 298 votes and voters registered with a variety of third parties totaled 109.

In the 2020 general election, a total of 19,514 votes were cast in Franklin County.