CHENANGO COUNTY – Yesterday’s race for President of the United States was just as close in Chenango County as it was nationally, but here, more voters marked their ballots for Mitt Romney than they did for second-term winner President Barack Obama.

Nationally, President Obama won the election by 50 percent of the popular vote versus Mitt Romney’s 48 percent. Chenangoans gave the former Massachusetts governor 50 percent of the votes versus 47 percent for the president.

The voter turnout countywide was nothing shy of amazing and the machines worked flawlessly, said Republican Commissioner Harriet Jenkins this morning. The total number of votes received for all of the candidates in the presidential election was 17,712 of 28,591 registered voters. Voters stood in longer lines than usual as a result.

And that was in spite of the large number of NYSEG and other Superstorm Sandy responders who left the county to aid the homeless after last week’s devastating storm, Jenkins said. At least two voters displaced following the storm downstate cast their ballots in Chenango County, per special voter provisions enacted by the governor.