New York voters waited hours to vote on Saturday, the first time that early voting was allowed in the state presidential election
« It’s probably the most important election of my life, anyway So I think I’d rather do it, do it, feel good You know, do my civic duty and be ready for when it comes Just to make sure everything fits, everything is voted on I’m excited about this I’m happy to vote today « » I’m just I’m really excited And there are several days of early voting I wanted to come on day one And there’s something about going in person, filling it out myself and turning it into what I just feel safe «
Thousands of New Yorkers flooded the polling stations and queued for hours on Saturday, the first day of early voting, and many said they surrendered fearing their ballots not be counted if they tried to vote by mail
Queues grew for blocks outside polling stations, including Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the Armory in Washington Heights, as election officials clashed with polling machines. faulty electronic voting and tried to calm anxious voters
The obstacles faced by voters and polling officers on the first day of voting reflected the challenges of holding a controversial presidential election amid a pandemic But many were not deterred by the delays and the coronavirus
The line for early voting at the Andrew Freedman House in the Bronx stretched along the Grand Concourse and around the corner, halfway to 166th Street East
The pandemic was on the minds of most people online Many wore face masks, and some of them even wore gloves They tried to extend at least six feet from one of the ‘other, but it was difficult to maintain social distancing in the narrowest parts of the street
Bryan Washington, 60, said the reward for voting early outweighed the risk of contagion « I’m one of those who really believe this is one of the elections the most important we have ever had, ”said Mr. Washington said, « I sincerely believe this is an election for the soul of the country »
At Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Barbara Ali, 75, showed up to vote at 6:50 a.m. She called 311, the city’s information line, because she thought the ballot would open at 7 a.m. They didn’t do it for another three hours, but she decided to wait
« This is the most important election of the century, » said Ms. Ali, a retired city worker from Park Slope. « This one is the icing on the cake, I don’t want to shouting names, but we know what’s going on «
She was considering postal voting because of the coronavirus but, she said, « slipping it into the computer is the way I wanted to go »
In fact, recent incidents involving postal ballots appeared to lead many voters to the polls on Saturday Some said they did not believe their votes would be counted if they did not show up in person, and many did didn’t want to wait for polling day
Late last month, the city’s board of elections came under fire after as many as 100,000 Brooklyn voters received mail-in ballots with the wrong names and addresses
This is the first presidential election in which New Yorkers are allowed to vote early.The state legislature approved early voting in 2019, after Democrats took control, making New York one of the last states to adopt it
Sarah Steiner, an election lawyer from New York who has represented candidates for public office, said on Saturday it was not unusual to hear reports of long lines and others problems during the first day of early voting
Throughout the day, photos on social media showed New Yorkers descending on voting sites across the city and state These images were a sign of better than expected turnout , Mrs Steiner said
« There are always some issues It’s an event for a lot of people and it’s a wonderful sign of civic engagement, » Ms. Steiner said, later adding: « Glad to see it »
Early voting lines tend to decrease after day one, so voters should expect shorter timelines as early voting continues, Ms. Steiner said
Voters will have until Nov 1 for early voting Nine-day early voting period aims to increase voter turnout by making voting more convenient Depending on the day, early voting sites will open as early as 7 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m.m, including this weekend and the next
Nine days of early voting set to result in record turnout Up to 33 million out of 4 People estimate 7 million active voters in New York City, or 70%, expected to vote by mail or in person
Unlike many other states and the rest of New York, where people can vote at any early polling station in their county, voters in New York are only allowed to vote early in designated places.
The city announced that Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center would be used for the first time as voting sites, but if voters were not assigned to them, they would not be able to vote there
By the time Rebecca Jones, 38, arrived at Madison Square Garden for an early vote at around 10:15 a.m., more than 600 people had already lined up in front of her
Ahead of the June New York primary, Ms Jones voted early at a polling station about two blocks from her home in Hell’s Kitchen
« I don’t know why they funneled so many people to one place I think that’s stupid, » she said « If it’s the number of volunteers running it, I’m all for it. made for But they already did it So I’m not happy «
More than a dozen police officers were stationed outside and inside Madison Square Garden, and the Police Department announced earlier this week that at least one police officer would be assigned to each of the 88 first polling stations in the city
Police were not aware of any specific threats directed at polling stations, but the department was devoting more resources to security than in previous elections due to the controversial climate surrounding the presidential election, the chief Terence A Monahan said
On polling day 1,201 polling stations will be open and officers will be present at each of them, Chief Monahan said
Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed concern about the early voting process on Friday, however, in an interview with MSNBC
He said he expected interference from staunch supporters of President Trump in poor and immigrant communities on election day « We can’t have this », M de Blasio said
The mayor said he plans to send hundreds of lawyers, city officials and volunteers to make sure every New Yorker who wants to vote can do so without fear
« We are going to have a major voter protection effort because you cannot let this election be stolen by intimidation, » he said
On Saturday, a small rally erupted outside the Brooklyn Museum alongside a winding line of voters
City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo echoed the sentiment She said she was stunned by the line of voters at Barclays Center « I feel the fire Shout out to all the people who came out early this morning «
NYC Early Voting
World News – US – Queues stretch for blocks as New Yorkers turn to early voting
