Democrats demonstrated their voter registration advantage in Monroe County on Tuesday, with many of the party’s candidates claiming victory or leading in contested races.

The 2024 elections reinforced trends seen last November, when Monroe County Democrats won the majority in the county Legislature for the first time in 30 years and Monroe County Executive Adam Bello became the first Democrat to be re-elected to that position.

There are 206,360 registered Democrats in the county, far ahead of registered Republicans with 127,191. In fact, unaffiliated voters are the second largest voter group in the county, at 155,581.

Monroe County Clerk Jamie Romeo, a Democrat, maintained his positionwith 57% of the votes. Democrat Michael Ansaldi beat Republican Joseph DiNolfo by 5% in the election. race for Monroe County Court Judgebased on unofficial totals on election night.

Monroe County votes in state and federal elections

Monroe County voters also favored Democratic incumbents Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Joseph Morelle at the federal level. In the state election, Monroe County voters voted in favor of Democratic state senators Samra Brouk and Jeremy Cooney, as well as Republican incumbents Pamela Helming and Robert Ortt.

In the night’s main race, Vice President Kamala Harris earned 205,120 votes to former President Donald Trump’s 141,763 votes, in unofficial results. President Joe Biden received 225,746 in 2020, while Trump received 145,661.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Monroe County has consistently voted for the Democratic candidate for president. The closest race came in 2004, when John Kerry beat then-President George W. Bush by fewer than 10,000 votes. The largest margin came in 2020, when voters favored Joe Biden by 80,000 votes.

Further: 2024 Monroe County Election Results

Passes of proposal 1

Proposition 1, the Equal Rights Amendment, was easily passed at the state level, but also had local support. Monroe County voted in favor of the amendment with 193,201 votes to 140,844 votes against.

Following the passage of Proposition 1, reactions began to pour in at the Monroe County Democratic watch party held at the Hyatt in downtown Rochester.

“It’s the equal rights movement and it shouldn’t be so controversial,” said Amy Hughes, 30.

Benjamin Remel, 18, a freshman at the University of Rochester, said he voted in favor of Proposition 1. “It’s important to support equal rights,” he said. “I think it’s great that Proposition 1 passed. It’s important to show that this is something we should enforce.”

Jeremy Cooney, Democrat of Rochester, who defeated his Republican opponent to secure another two-year term representing District 56 in the state Senate, expressed his satisfaction at having supported Proposition 1 with his vote in the Senate.

“It’s a huge sigh of relief for many New Yorkers concerned about their rights,” Cooney said. “No matter what happens with the White House or the Supreme Court, it is very important that we stand up for people in New York, whether they are trans people or people seeking reproductive health care.”

Greek proposal defeated

A proposal in the city of Greece that would have altered the appointment process for municipal board or supervisor vacancies was rejected.

Opponents maintained the change was a power grab by Supervisor Bill Reilich, a claim he denied. Instead, he said, the change would have opened up the process for filling vacancies.

Under the proposal, any resident could be considered for a vacancy and the town board would decide.

Now, political parties elect candidates for vacancies. Republicans currently control the board and selection.

“If this proposal is approved, it will allow the municipal board to consider not only the two names that the party selects, but also anyone in the city who is qualified, that is, who lives in the corresponding district or, for the race of supervisors, in the city. of Greece,” Reilich told WROC-TV (Channel 8) in an interview.

— Democrat and Chronicle reporters Justice Marbury, Kerria Weaver and Gary Craig contributed to this report.

— Steve Howe reports on weather, climate and the Great Lakes for the Democrat and Chronicle. A graduate of RIT, he has covered countless topics over the years, including public safety, local government, national politics, and economic development in New York and Utah.

This article originally appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Monroe County Election 2024: What the results show