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Syracuse • There will be no voting booths in the city in November's general election.
Instead, officials have decided that residents will cast their ballots through the mail only, a move they hope will increase voter participation. City Recorder Cassie Brown said municipalities in other states that have followed this procedure all had at least 48 percent of registered voters send in a ballot. Syracuse's turnout in the last general election was 22 percent.
A consensus to have voting only through the mail was reached earlier this month when the city council was discussing the budget. Brown estimates that it will cost about $5,000 more to hold an election that way but said the amount is hard to pinpoint because it depends on how many ballots are returned.
The last general election cost about $15,000 and about 13,300 voters cast ballots, she said.