Above: This year's ballot in the town of Ashland, in Greene County, in which all races are uncontested.
Maybe it's the result of apathy. Maybe it's due to powerful endorsements from town leaders. Whatever the reason, 70 percent of the races in this year's Greene County election aren't contests at all.
Our analysis of the ballots available from the Greene County Board of Elections on the Greene County website shows that of the 70 races in Greene County's elections this year, 48 only have one candidate running.
That means that 54 candidates (some races elect more than 1 candidate for a position) are basically assured victory, as long as a single person votes for them. (This is unless a successful write-in candidate wins.)
Voters in town elections will only play a role in selecting 22 of the 70 races on the ballots this year. Six of the 14 towns in Greene County have all of their candidates running unopposed. Only one town in Greene County -- Cairo -- has an election where all seats are being contested.
For county-wide positions, five out of six races have candidates running unopposed. That means that voters will not choose their County Sheriff, County Clerk, either of their two county coroners, or their county District Attorney this year, unless a write-in candidate manages to get a majority of votes.
Want to know if you'll have a choice in your Greene County town this year? Here's the breakdown by towns:
- Ashland: All 7 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Athens: All 5 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Cairo: All 6 races are being contested.
- Catskill: Three races are being contested, 2 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Coxsackie: Two races are being contested, 4 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Durham: All 3 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Greenville: Two races are being contested, 4 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Halcott: All 6 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Hunter: One race is being contested, 2 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Jewett: All 4 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Lexington: Two races are being contested, 2 races have candidates running unopposed.
- New Baltimore: Three races are being contested, 1 race has candidate running unopposed.
- Prattsville: Three races are being contested, 2 races have candidates running unopposed.
- Windham: All 6 races have candidates running unopposed.
