The voting is done, but the official tally is just beginning.

Cayuga County voters made their choices during Tuesday's election, and a number of county races are only separated by a few votes. More than 1,000 absentee and affidavit ballots remain uncounted, and officials say people might have to wait at least a week for the complete results.

Officials at the county Board of Elections said they are doing what they can to speed up the process. But they must follow specific guidelines to ensure a fair count and protect the privacy of the voters before the election is certified by the state, officials said.

The Board of Elections will verify affidavit votes, re-canvass the voting machines and count the absentee votes over the next week before they release any final results.

Deborah Calarco, one of the board's deputy commissioners, started re-canvassing the voting machines Wednesday.

She will personally check each machine in the county, verify the numbers and compare them with the unofficial results posted Tuesday on the board's Website

There are 81 machines in 65 voting districts around the county, and this process may take a few days, Calarco said. But this will still be quicker than normal.

“Because we have so many close races, we're starting to confirm (the results) today instead of waiting a couple of days,” Calarco said Wednesday.

Co-commissioner Cherl Heary will also personally verify the results on each machine to ensure that a member of each major party oversees the vote count, Calarco said. Candidates are allowed to observe the process to ensure fairness.

Calarco said that the Board of Elections also verified affidavit ballots Wednesday. An affidavit ballot is issued when a registered voter's name is left off the poll book. Board officials validate that the person is a registered voter before the ballot is added to the absentees.

Two teams of four inspectors will begin counting absentee and affidavit ballots Tuesday. The inspectors are registered voters - four Republicans and four Democrats - in Cayuga County.

Districts with close races, such as city of Auburn mayor and town Owasco supervisor, will be counted first, Calarco said. But there are more than 1,000 absentee ballots, and it could still take days to count them all, she said.

Board deputy commissioner Tom Prystal Jr. said absentee ballots are not counted until a week after the election in order to protect voter privacy. Cayuga County has a relatively small population, and a few ballots may arrive each day as they trickle in after the election, he said.

If ballots were counted as they arrived, it would be easier to figure out who voted for whom, he said. Instead, the Board of Elections waits for all the absentee ballots to arrive before dividing them by district and counting them.

“The entire process is maintained better when there is a sense of certainty to it,” Prystal said.

Both Prystal, a Republican, and Calarco, a Democrat, will oversee the absentee count.

Once the official results are gathered and verified, they are certified and sent to the state Board of Elections.

Even though the process can take longer than desired, voters still have returns faster than ever, Prystal said,

“We've actually stepped it up huge, especially with (unofficial) election night returns,” he said. “But this is a manual process. It is not just something you can put through a processing machine.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.

Close races

Auburn City Mayor

Michael D. Quill (D) 2,913

Tim Lattimore (R, C) 2,871

Absentee ballots issued 518

Dist. 7 Legislature

George C. Fearon (R) 659

Lon A. Fricano (D, C, I) 642

Absentee ballots issued 80

Fleming Town Supervisor

Gary B. Searing (D, I, C) 481

James E. Young (R) 467

Absentee ballots issued 77

Owasco Town Supervisor

Eleanor G. Beck (R) 785

John J. Klink (D) 780

Absentee ballots issued 107