The city of Buffalo is preparing to elect its first new mayor in nearly two decades, which is one of the races to watch across Western New York on Election Day.

Mayor – City of Buffalo

Democrat Sean Ryan, Republican James Gardner and Independent Michael Gainer are on the ballot to be the next mayor of the city. 

The winner will be the first person since Byron Brown to win the job since 2005.

Christopher Scanlon has served as acting mayor since Brown resigned the role in October of last year.

Supervisor – Town of Amherst

Amherst is picking a new Town Supervisor.

The race between Republican Dan Gagliardo and Democrat Shawn Lavin.

Current Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa can’t seek a third term.

Treasurer – City of Dunkirk

People in the city of Dunkirk will vote on the future of the City Treasurer Position.

The proposal before Dunkirk voters would abolish the elected position.

If abolished, it would transfer under the supervision of the city leadership.

There’s also an ongoing investigation into the treasurer’s office by the state comptroller and Chautauqua County District Attorney.

Mayor – City of Tonawanda

In the race for Tonawanda mayor, Republican incumbent John White is taking on his Democrat challenger, Bill Strassburg.

Both candidates said city finances are a top concern this election cycle.

Then it’s a Democrat incumbent in North Tonawanda looking to keep his seat.

Austin Tylec is looking to hold onto his seat as his first term is coming to a close.

He is facing Republican challenger Tom Krantz.

Supervisor – Town of Hamburg

Republican Beth Farrell Lorentz and Democrat Bob Reynolds are on the ballot for Hamburg Town Supervisor.

A third name is mounting a write-in campaign. Josh Collins calls himself a Republican independent.

Comptroller – Erie County

Republican Christine is looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Kevin Hardwick. There’s a focus on facts and not partisan politics for both campaigns.

Czarnik says her 30 years as an accountant provide knowledge Hardwick doesn’t have, pointing to an unredacted check he gave to local media.

Hardwick says that it “was not a huge deal,” but changes were made afterward to prevent it from happening again. He points to audits, which found counterfeit checks and embezzlement, as a measure of success.

Polls are open across New York from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday after nearly 1.2 million people took part in early voting in New York state, according to the state Board of Elections. That includes 37,170 voters in Erie County.

If you are voting absentee, those ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 and reach the Board of Elections no later than Nov. 12 to be counted. You can also drop off your signed absentee ballot at your local Board of Elections office no later than 9 p.m.

Because of expanded absentee voting, some winners may not be announced until days or weeks after Election Day.