By TimesLedger Staff
In eastern Queens, voting for Republican Joe Concannon and Democrat Barry Grodenchik appeared to pick up after 5 p.m. with one poll worker in Oakland Gardens reporting that turnout for the City Council seat exceeded the primary pace.
At PS 205 in Oakland Gardens, poll site coordinator Annemarie Martinez said it was her first year managing that site, but that a couple things were clear.
“We’ve had a steady flow of people all day,” Martinez said about 8 p.m. “We have definitely had a greater turnout at this site than we did in the primary.”
PS 205, the Alexander Graham Bell School, is the polling station for parts of Oakland Gardens and Bayside Hills.
Oakland Gardens resident Dan Shepard said that after reviewing the candidates for City Council, he said he thought Concannon’s campaign message was too aggressive, so he cast his vote for Grodenchik.
“It really seems to me that he is trying to invoke fear with his campaign — that crime is a threat to us,” Shepard said.
Another Oakland Gardens resident, Lynn Rothschild, said she was not initially aware there was an election until receiving a flier in her mailbox.
“It’s something I thought I should bring myself out for. I think voting is something I and a lot more people should take more seriously,” Rothschild said. “I am voting for Barry. I actually met him, and he seems like he has a little more experience than the other candidates.”
—Tom Momberg
Concannon vs. Grodenchik
Republican candidate Joe Concannon, who has centered much of his campaign message on criticizing the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, campaigned outside PS191, the Mayflower School, in Floral Park.
Concannon said people not having their complaints heard and unresponsive city agencies have riled many residents. He said a lower voter turnout could be indicative of that attitude, but he hopes his message inspires people to become more civically active and do something about it.
“People could feel very disenfranchised if their elected officials haven’t been servicing them,” Concannon said. “But we want to turn that around. We want people to be engaged and to get involved in the political process. In campaigning this summer, we have been hearing those complaints and doing something about them. People respond to that.”
A woman who works for the city Department of Education said Concannon’s message really resonated with her, but she did not want to reveal her name or position.
“I voted for Mr. Concannon. I am extremely disappointed with the current City Council and Mayor de Blasio. I’m hoping this candidate can effect change now and in the future,” she said.
Since this is an off-year election, Concannon said his campaign is working hard to get as many people out to the polls as possible.
“We’ll be pulling people out by phone and by hook or by crook until probably 8 or 9 o’clock tonight,” Concannon said. “It’s going to go on all day. We have an operation back in our offices that is doing just that … we’ve already identified thousands of our voters, so now it’s just a matter of pulling them out.”
Over in Hollis Hills at PS 188 Democratic Council candidate Barry Grodenchik said he hoped the nice weather would encourage people to vote.
“We have people working on my campaign who are bringing people out to the polls to vote, and I’m sure my opponent, Joe, is doing the same.”
Rebecca Lynch, who lost in the Dem primary but is still on the ballot for the Working Families Party, is not running a campaign. But neither has she publicly endorsed Grodenchik.
“I don’t know why,” Grodenchik said. “But people have reasons for what they do. She’s my friend and she will continue to be my friend. I’m sure Rebecca will get some votes.”
Expecting a low voter turnout, Grodenchik said he was disappointed as he knocked on doors across the district to find “some people just aren’t as civically engaged as the should be.”
“My campaign worked to register at least a hundred new voters during the primary, but it’s frustrating to me that more people don’t come out to vote,” he said.
—Tom Momberg
Few votes in Whitestone
On an unseasonably warm November day, mostly older voters trickled into the PS 209 polling site in Whitestone. As of 1:30 p.m., election coordinators reported only 48 completed votes.
“It’s a little too laid back for this time of year,” said Nury Vasconcellos, an election coordinator at the site. “November is usually known as a voting month, but I’m surprised at this turnout. I don’t think people are very aware that we are even having an election today. I haven’t seen anyone under the age of 35,” she added.
The site, serving Election Districts 8 and 9 within the 26th Assembly District, had state Supreme judgeships, district judgeships and the Queens DA’s race on the ballot.
James Vitrano, a voter from Whitestone, said he does not follow each individual race but tends to votes along party lines.
“Vote for your people and trust in the fact that the system does have merit,” he said. “If you want to have your voice heard you have to come out and vote. No two ways about it.”
—Gabriel Rom
Voting steady at PS 188
An unusually beautiful November Election Day was a reversal from a rainy September primary.
PS 188 poll site coordinator Melvin Berkowitz said the ballot scanners are on pace with the Democratic primary in September.
“Turnout is even higher than I expected,” he said. “We have already had about 200 people out here by 10:30.”
But even if polls remain on track with primary turnout as people come out of work to vote, the general election turnout still would be unusually low.
More than 7,000 Council District 23 residents voted in the Democratic primary. Now registered members of other parties will be coming out to the polls, but because this is an off-year election, Tuesday’s turnout likely won’t reach the district’s historical average.
Just under 20,000 people in the district voted in 2013, during what was also a mayoral election.
There are judicial elections taking place across Queens, but poll sites outside the 23rd Council District or 29th Assembly District, which both have special elections, are slow.
Katherine James, an assistant poll site coordinator in Queens Village, said she thinks most votes in the judicial elections will be cast where the Council and Assembly candidates have been getting people out to vote n their potential constituencies.
“And it’s the party regulars who vote on their party line that are going to be electing the DA and judges,” she said.
James said she is predicting a low voter turnout this off-year election.
The historically low election participation across the state, she said is the result of poor access to voter education, which “is a dilemma that seriously impacts the quality of the candidates that we have to choose from.”
—Tom Momberg
Hyndman vs. Murray
On bright sunny day, voters slowly strolled into southeast Queens polling sites, some with their children and some alone to cast a vote for the 29th state Assembly District, formerly the seat of Assemblyman William Scarborough, who resigned in May.
The Democratic Party candidate is Alicia Hyndman, who has been the president of District 29 Community Education Council for almost a decade. Hyndman announced in June and was endorsed by major Democratic elected officials and district leaders, including drawing strong support from former City Councilman Archie Spigner.
On the Republican side, Queens GOP leaders have shown support for Scherie Murray, a member of the Republican State Committee. She also ran against Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) in a 2013 special election for the 31st Council District.
Both parties were seen campaigning across the District 29, which covers Hollis, Jamaica, St. Albans, Laurelton and Rosedale.
This is the first time two women have sought the District 29 seat, which became open when Scarborough resigned in May after pleading guilty to state and federal corruption charges.
The IS 270 polling site in Rosedale had lackluster turnout, according to poll site coordinator John Butler.
“This is a slow election,” Butler said.
“People need to come out and vote,” said another poll site coordinator Maxine Sensuel.
Around 12 p.m., after an unofficial tally of three polling sites 302 votes had been counted.
Hyndman voted at IS 270 along with Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) at 9 a.m. Her daughters, 5-year-old Nyla and 16-year old Nia, were by her side.
“I feel great,” Hyndman said with a bright smile after casting her vote.
Murray cast her vote at IS 59 in Springfield Gardens alongside her campaign volunteers.
“Excellent,” Murray said, about her campaign, smiling cheek to cheek.
The 29th District has been a majority Democratic area and this election is the first time a Republican has challenged the seat in 30 years.
One voter, Johnny Horne from Rosedale, said, “I always vote Democratic unless there is a problem.”
—-Sadef Kully
Early turnout heavy in Woodside
An elderly man shuffled into the polling site at the Big Six Towers in Woodside, and asked two women who they were voting for.
“Judges,” they said. With no legislative races in western Queens, the turnout was surprisingly heavy at the building complex.
“There’s been 35 people in the first four hours,” site coordinator Diane Cassel said.
“I usually do this in Middle Village, but they closed my site down this year. Thirty-five in four hours would be a big crowd in Middle Village. I guess that’s why they closed it.”
Not knowing what to expect at the Big Six, Cassel arrived two hours early.
“I wasn’t sure what the parking would be like here so I got here at 4 a.m.,” she said. “This place is pretty amazing. It’s like a small city.”
—Bill Parry
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Quiet Election Day at PS 20 in Flushing
Few voters hit the polls at the polling station set up for Election Day at the John Bowne School in downtown Flushing Tuesday morning.
Roughly 20 poll workers were sitting at five tables, waiting for voters to come and sign in at PS 20, located at 142-30 Barclay Ave., but the gym appeared to be overall empty.
A poll worker said the only reason he knew about the election is because the Board of Elections sent the poll workers a notice.
Only two people came to his table, he said.
“The general public, I don’t think they have any idea there is an election today,” he said.
A Flushing resident and her mother, both Democrats, who came to vote at John Bowne said that they did not see many people in the gym, noting that most people do not fulfill their civic duty.
“We cannot miss this vote because my mom wants to do her duty as a citizen,” she said.
—Madina Toure
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Poll workers outnumber voters
Between 9:45 and 10:15 a.m. only two people showed up to vote at Bayside High School, as 10 to 15 poll workers
waited to accommodate the voters who never came.
—Michael Shain
