Throughout the day and night Queens Courier will be updating our website, Facebook page and Twitter account (@QueensCourier) using the hashtag #courierpolitics, with news about the local elections and presidential race, from the casting of ballots to the final results.
2:00 a.m.
Joseph Addabbo is projected as the winner in the State Senate District 15 race, defeating Republican opponent Eric Ulrich.
1:45 a.m.
Obama gives his victory speech in Chicago: “And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you and you have made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work we have to do and the future that lies ahead,” said the re-elected president.
1:30 a.m.
Results for all the Queens State Assembly winners are in:
District 25: Nily Rozic
District 30: Margaret Markey
District 36: Aravella Simotas
District 40: Ron Kim
1:25 a.m.
Tony Avella wins the State Senate District 11 race and Toby Ann Stavisky wins in District 16.
1:00 a.m.
Mitt Romney gives his concession speech in Boston: “I so wish I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader, he said, concluding his five minute speech to his supporters.
12:40 p.m.
Michael Gianaris has been declared the winner in the State Senate District 12 race by ABC New York.
12:10 p.m.
In the remaining Queens Congressional races Grace Meng has been declared the winner in the District 6 race, defeating Dan Halloran, Steve Israel wins in District 3 and Gregory Meeks wins in District 5.
11:35 p.m.
In the Queens U.S. Congressional races, Hakeem Jeffries in District 8, Carolyn Maloney in District 12 and Joseph Crowley in District 14 have been projected as winners.
11:20 p.m.
President Barack Obama wins a second term. “This happened because of you. Thank you,” the president tweeted following his victory.
10:25 p.m.
Results for the Queens races have yet to come in, but more states have been declared in the presidential race. Notable projected wins that have been made for Obama include New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. But in some swing states (Ohio, Florida and Virginia) it’s still too close to call.
9:15 p.m.
NBC News has projected Kirsten Gillibrand as the winner in the New York U.S. Senate race, beating her Republican opponent Wendy Long.
9:00 p.m.
Polls are now closed in NY, and the New York Times has projected Obama as the winner in the state. But in the west, several states are still voting until 10 and 11 p.m. ET. Alaska is the last state to end voting, at 12:00 a.m. ET.
8:45 p.m.
Polls in New York are about 15 minutes from closing, but in other states the precincts are already reporting, and the presidential candidates are picking up electoral votes.
The AP has called Obama as the winner in Illinois, Connecticut, Maine, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. and Vermont.
Romney has won Indian, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.
6:00 p.m.
Throughout Election Day thousands had to vote in a tent at a Rockaway supersite. READ MORE
5:45 p.m.
A Pennsylvania electronic voting machine reportedly malfunctioned today and changed votes for President Obama to Republican candidate Mitt Romney and vice versa. SEE THE VIDEO
4:50 p.m.
A Korean-American interpreter was allegedly expelled from a Flushing poll site this afternoon after he was caught filling out ballots for voters, a poll watcher said. READ MORE
3:30 p.m.
P.S. 41 in Bayside is full of voters but running smoothly.
2:20 p.m.
Rockaway voting: nine poll sites, one tent
1:45 p.m.
P.S. 232 The Walter Ward School in Lindenwood is also playing host voters who normally cast their ballots at P.S. 207 and P.S. 146.
“Turnout is very high due to the storm,” said Anthony Savoca, an Assembly District moderator.
The voting time was minimal, Savoca said, but some newcomers were “a little unsure where to go.”
Bob Boiselle, who was driving seniors to voting sites today, said of the four he’d gone to, “this one looks like the shortest.”
12:45 p.m.
Voters waiting in line at P.S. 232 in Howard Beach. (Photo: Twitter/@windynyc)
12:15 p.m.
Since early this morning, voters have been reporting long lines at poll sites. The Board of Elections (BOE) anticipated that more people would cast their ballots this year because of the presidential election and hired extra poll workers, especially information clerks to help people figure out if they are voting at the right place, said BOE spokesperson Valerie Vazquez.
Though some workers faced challenges getting to poll sites because of Sandy, the BOE is providing shuttle buses in hard hit areas, such as Far Rockaway, for both voters and workers, and has a pool of alternate workers in case some can’t make it to their polling place, said Vazquez.
Last night, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order allowing New York voters to cast an affidavit ballot at any polling site in the state. Voters who do so don’t need to prove that they are displaced, said Vazquez, and should be able to vote at any location. But since Cuomo announced the executive order just before 5 p.m. last night, the BOE didn’t have a lot of time to communicate the change to its workers, she said.
11:00 a.m.
Councilmember Eric Ulrich voted this morning at 11 a.m., with his wife Yadira at P.S. 63 in Ozone Park as he makes his run to unseat incumbent State Senator Joseph Addabbo.
After voting, Ulrich said he was upset that the Board of Elections had moved a number of polling sites to inaccessible locations for Rockaway residents still reeling from Hurricane Sandy.
“The board of elections has made it inconvenient today for people to vote,” he said. “It’s the foundation of our democracy and yet every year, or every two years, they find a way to screw it up.”
Whatever the ballots say tonight, Ulrich suggested the Board be revamped.
“Regardless of the outcome of today’s election, both locally and nationally, I think it’s important that people seriously consider revamping, or restructuring the Board of Elections,” he said. “It’s proved once again its incompetence and its inability to help people exercise their right to vote.”
10:30 a.m.
Mayor Bloomberg, like many New Yorkers today, waits in a long line to cast his vote. (Photo: Twitter/@NYC Mayor’s Office)
10:00 a.m.
Mitt Romney casts his vote in Boston this morning. (Video: AP)
8:30 a.m.
All smiles, Assemblymember Aravella Simotas filed her ballot around 8:30 a.m. at P.S. 84 in Astoria.
“This morning I had the privilege of exercising the most important right we have as Americans,” said Simotas.
The incumbent, who faces off against Julia Haich for the Assembly District 36 seat, said the recent devastation left by Superstorm Sandy proves the importance of selecting officials who speak and act for their community in a time of crisis.
“This Election Day, following the devastation of the storm and the incredible efforts of our communities and our local, state and federal elected officials, it is clearer than ever how crucial it is to go to the polls and choose your representatives,” said Simotas.
Senator Michael Gianaris cast his vote early this morning at P.S. 84 in Astoria.
“It is an honor to be elected by the people of western Queens for the last several years and a thrill to participate in the democratic process,” said the senator, who is pitted against Auralio Arcabascio for the Senate District 12 seat.
Gianaris said it’s imperative that people get to the polls and cast their vote.
“The right to vote is one of the most valuable aspects of our democracy, and I hope everyone cast their ballots today to ensure their voices are heard in all levels of our government.”
