OntheWilderSide

[For Voter Support in Suffolk County, call: (631) 650-2301. A grassroots volunteer can try to answer questions about voting rights and voting rules.]

I have to admit, Newsday has interesting coverage and lots of video of voting places on Long Island. There synposis is: “Turnout Through The Roof”.

Here are my anecdotes garnered from my partisan and non-partisan activities today:

-Heard a news report that there were some problems at a voting place in Wheatley Heights. Wheatley Heights is in Babylon, Long Island. It is a very upper-middle class African-American section of Babylon. I believe it is a Democratic stronghold (I have petitioned there and noticed the lawn signs.) I think a voting machine there was down this morning and there were long lines. Have not heard the follow-up reports.

-A friend reported to me that when he went to vote in North Copiague at 2:00pmish, there were about 300 vehicles outside, and about 600 people coming and going from the school gym to vote. He said it is mostly a minority, Latino district.

-I speant time in Holbrook, a very white-ish middle-class section of Holbrook. The polls were steady. No lines more than 10 or so people.

-The reason I speant time in Holbrook is that a family member reported that in her district, the names of presidential candidates Gloria La Riva and Cynthia McKinney were switched on the machine. So, it looked as if Cynthia McKinney was the socialist candidate, instead of being the Green Party candidate. After some back and forth with the election workers, we were able to get that fixed. They closed the poll, did emergency ballots for a short time, fixed the order of names, and reopened the machine. A success for poll watching. (We are trying to have other greens do spot checks in Islip.)

-I heard that in Central Islip and Brentwood, there were polling places where no one could provide a copy of the proposition in Spanish.

-I voted at my polling place here in North Babylon. It was about 4pm and there was a steady stream, but not much of a line. My district is probably a moderately diverse, middle class community. The pollworkers were joking that it was the calm before the storm. So, I am guessing there were busy times throughout the day.

-I heard a report that in Commack, at the Indian Hollow Primary School polling place, ED 43, something on the ballot was switched with an Assembly race and a District Court Judge race.

-I am very frustrated that during the morning when myself as a Voter Support person, and voters tried to call the Suffolk County Board of Elections, no one picked up.

-It was frustrating to me that 2 of the national election protection hotlines that people have been giving out (and I have been giving out) proved useless at different times when I needed them. One was busy and disconnected when it tried to switch you to your local. The other took a message which I am not clear someone gets, and then forwarded you to your local BOE, which was the Suffolk County BOE, which rang busy!

-So, I was very happy to have been part of a non-partisan voter effort here in Suffolk County. Some local citizens got together with PeaceSmiths, Inc., got permission to use the phone at the Suffolk NYCLU, and are taking Voter Support calls. We have been able to help several people. The phone number for that project, which is open until 9pmish today is: Voter Support for Suffolk County (631) 650-2301

Filed under: 3rd party, Ballot issues, cynthia mckinney, election, Election 2008, Election Night 2008, elections, green, Green Party Websites, Green Presidential Campaign 2008, local, long island, Long Island Politics, News, Political Websites, president, presidential, presidential race, third party, US Politics Tagged: | babylon, election protection, islip, Suffolk County, vote, Voter Support, voting