By: Benyamin Davidsons
On Monday morning, the third day of early voting, New York City residents faced more long lines to cast their votes for the upcoming general election. As reported by the NY Post, however, residents who made their way to one of the city’s 88 early polling sites, despite the cold, rain and long lines were not dismayed but rather said it was a sign of “hope.”
Manhattan resident Stephen Hargrove, 59, a supporter of Democrat Joe Biden, went to Madison Square Garden to cast his vote right when it opened in the morning. He had brought along his own folding chair, and when he was still waiting in line an hour and 15 minutes later, he said he was not bothered by the long wait. “It’s necessary,” Hargrove said. “It gives you hope to see all these people out here.” “In the past, I’ve never had to wait this long to vote, but I think it makes people more determined especially when they think it’s being suppressed,” he added.
“I think it’s awesome,” said April Lo, 39, another voter at MSG. “I think it’s really exciting and encouraging. Seeing everyone participate makes me feel really hopeful,” she said of the early voting process.
As per the Post, the Brooklyn polling center at New York City College of Technology had over 250 people already waiting in line by 9 a.m. It seemed, however, that voters were taking the wait in stride, keeping themselves busy with books, coffee and snacks. The lines had been even longer over the weekend, and so citizens knew to expect a lengthy Que. “It’s better than I expected,” said Nicole, 49, who waited almost an hour at the college in Brooklyn to vote with her husband. “Our neighbors went this weekend and I was seeing posts on Facebook. I thought I’m here for the long haul.”
Early voting began in NYC on Saturday morning, and as of Sunday night already over 193,000 residents had cast their votes, as per the New York City Board of Elections. The long lines on Monday prompted a response from Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and AOC who all agreed that the Board of Elections should do more to make the process swifter for residents trying to do their civic duty. “The Board of Elections was clearly not prepared for this kind of turnout and needs to make adjustments immediately,” said the Mayor. “Long lines tell people to go home.”
