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Poll site confusion, first-time voters and hopes for change

Online Niel November 6, 2024

By 6 p.m., nearly 2.2 million New Yorkers had turned out to vote in Tuesday’s election — many saying they were motivated by the chance for change and the hope for unity after a divisive presidential campaign season.

With reporting by Tiara Brownie, Frances Sacks, Usha Sookai, Marina Samuel, Sam Murphy, Kaitlyn Harris, Christopher Edwards, Kayla Mendez, Hilario Martinez, Mrwa Abbas, Ashley Vasquez, Seline Liz, Kaliopi Tsiros, Edwin Diaz, Jeanmarie Evelly and Mariana Simões .

Around 6 in the evening, almost 2.2 million New Yorkers and counting turned out to vote in Tuesday’s election — with many saying they were motivated by the chance for change and the hope for unity after a divisive presidential campaign season.

The city’s polls closed at 9 p.m., and Vice President Kamala Harris easily won New York State’s 28 electoral votes. according to the Associated Press. But election experts urged patience and it could take time to know the national results of the top race, where former President Donald Trump and Harris are neck and neck, according to recent polls.

Residents in the five boroughs also had a chance to vote for state legislative seats and weigh in on six ballot measures, including whether to add an equal rights amendment to the New York constitution and at the local level, the expansion of the city The enforcement powers of the Department of Sanitation.

“It’s disturbing. I feel like I have a lot of weight in my own hands,” said Nicole Vargas, a 22-year-old student from the South Bronx who voted for the first time Tuesday.

Another first-time voter was Elizabeth Pargon, 38, who spoke to City Limits outside NYCHA’s Melrose Houses Community Center.

“My friends motivated me and pushed me to vote,” Pargon said. “Honestly, I feel good about myself. Like I did something important for my people and my community. Going forward, I will always vote. The process was also easy.”

Not everyone fared well, though: At least a dozen people showed up at PS 1 The Courtland school in the Bronx, only to be sent to the Classic Community Center a few blocks away because their polling place had changed.

Many said they had always voted at PS 1 and were surprised by the change, including Francisco Bermudez, an 86-year-old who uses a walker. The walk to his new polling site took 20 minutes, and because there was no signage, Bermudez had to ask several people along the way if he was headed in the right direction.

Frances Sacks

Francisco Bermudez, 86, goes to his new survey site after appearing on the wrong one the first time.

A poll worker filling out referral sheets at the site said “people are getting discouraged,” reporting that one couple simply gave up and decided not to vote.

PS 1 poll coordinator Jose Cruz said voters have the option to fill out an affidavit if they don’t want to travel to the correct polling station. “My job is to make sure the voter can exercise their voting rights,” Cruz said.

Early Tuesday morning at NYCHA’s Betances Community Center in Mott Haven, voter Heidy Montano said she waited in line for 45 minutes because the polling place didn’t open on time. Employees who arrived to prepare the site said there was no one to open the doors, pushing back the start time from 6:00 a.m. to 7:20 a.m. The city’s Board of Elections did not immediately respond to questions about the reported issues.

At locations across the city, New Yorkers cited a myriad of issues that led them to vote. A common thread was the cost of living.

“The economy, that’s what everybody’s talking about,” said Julie, who declined to share her last name when she voted at NYCHA’s Mott Haven Community Center early Tuesday. “As a single mom, it’s not easy, so that’s what we’re looking to be better at.”

Adi Talwar

Late morning voters at PS 056 in the Bronx on November 5, 2024.

Fatoumada Bary, a 47-year-old secretary from Pelham Bay, declined to say who she was voting for, but said the economy was a key issue. “Right now, it’s very hard for people. Everything is so expensive.”

“The cost of living is extremely high and the minimum wage is not going up,” said June Thomas, 55, who is voting for Harris in the Bronx. “Rents, utilities and groceries are going up, but the pay for hard work is not. Something has to be done about it.”

At MS 267 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Lisa Ramirez, 32, said she wants to see the cost of housing and other expenses addressed. “That working families can afford groceries; hopefully we’ll be able to buy a house soon,” Ramirez said.

Another frequently cited reason New Yorkers said they showed up was protecting reproductive rights and access to abortion. Several voters said they were excited to vote for Harris and potentially see a woman in the White House, especially the country’s first black woman in the role.

Adi Talwar

Early morning voters at PS 94 Kings College School in the Bronx.

“I’m excited and I just hope that our first black president to graduate from an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) will be successful,” said Amdrina Joseph, 50, of Mott Haven. “I think she is our next president and she has to be.”

The other voters were more secretive. “To not pick that orange Oompa Loompa,” Pedro Crespo said of why he voted. “Anything but him.”

For Thessalya Kapetanos, a 32-year-old attorney from Washington Heights, Harris’ late entry into the race was a strike against her.

“She did not participate in the primaries, she was not voted by anyone. She was just placed by her party, so that’s something I’m really concerned about,” Kapetanos said. “I voted for Donald Trump, I think his policies make sense. I voted for him in 2016, I was happy with him, very happy with him, when he was president.”

Adi Talwar

Voters are assisted Tuesday morning at PS 94 Kings College School in the Bronx.

Beyond specific political issues and preferred candidates, a number of voters told City Limits that they are fed up with the divisive atmosphere surrounding the election.

“I wish the rhetoric on each side would become less extreme so we can start having more conversations about agreed-upon sets of facts,” said Alex Catege, 33, in Oakland Gardens, Queens.

Pamela Seymour, 68, a retired health care worker in Concourse Village, said she hopes for a more unified nation after the election. “Unity – that is my prayer. I pray every day for unity,” Seymour said.

“I hope the country realizes we can’t be so divided,” said Angela Reid, a 53-year-old dance teacher who spoke to a reporter at IS 232 in Morris Heights. “We cannot continue to remain divided if we want to see change.”

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