BUFFALO, N.Y. -- This year is what many political experts call an off-election cycle.

It's a year in which there are no statewide or nationwide races at the top of the ticket. 

"I think we start falling back into our traditional patterns and we get back to normal normal, not a new normal," GOP political analyst Jeff Williams said.

There was unprecedented voter turnout, in general, last year with the high-profile presidential race and more ways for voters to cast their ballot. Williams believes there was another reason too.

"I think what we saw during the pandemic is people didn't have anything to do and they all made plans to vote because really there  wasn't that much to do so we saw this huge wave of voting that we've never seen before," he said.

Across New York, Williams expects to see a more typical voter turnout. It is traditionally low for off-cycle elections but the analyst said that is not necessarily a bad thing.

"Not voting is also a choice and we went through a pattern where we told everyone that they had to vote or they were a bad citizen," he said. "You're not a bad citizen if you don't vote. You may have chosen not to vote because none of the candidates are to your liking."

In 2020, the presidential race generally had some impact on every other race below it on the ballot. Williams said another big difference in 2021 is he believes Donald Trump's name will have little impact on the races, although perhaps more so in the Republican primaries.

"All and all, I don't think the Trump brand is going to weigh into the Hamburg supervisor's race. I mean town races are about picking up garbage and delivering services," he said.

Williams said some people will continue to vote by absentee ballot or early voting but also believes more people will be returning to the polls on Election Day.