Long Islanders made their voices heard, as polls close in New York

Polls closed Tuesday night after Long Islanders turned out in droves Tuesday to cast ballots deciding a presidential race that pollsters have deemed remarkably tight, in which issues such as abortion, the economy and the state of American democracy were paramount in voters' minds.

The presidential campaign, pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump, focused in part on the fairness of the voting process itself. Some voters said they were tired of the divisiveness and worried about the fallout from the outcome amid the country's polarization.

Audrey Landsberg, 69, of Great Neck Plaza, said, "I think there’s going to be a problem on whoever wins, because we’re such a divided country ... There’s so many lies. It’s politics. But it’s never been like this before."

"I was born in 1954," she said. "This country is so different now. It’s like everybody hates each other. I lived through the Vietnam War, and protests. And things are just strange. It’s strange times."

In Patchogue, resident Dawn Owens, 62, said this year’s election season was on “another level” with too much hatred and not enough respect.

“I just feel the hatred in the whole country,” she said. “You can feel it, the anger is there and nobody is listening to anybody. They just want to throw each other under the bus.”

Owens said the election has been exhausting and she wants “it over with.”

“Hopefully, there’s no arguing over the results,” she said. “There could be trouble.”

Election officials on Long Island reported no major problems at the polls.

Long Islanders were also choosing a U.S. senator, House members, state legislators, local judges and some town board positions, as well as voting on a statewide proposition that would protect abortion rights.

Election officials said they saw strong turnout following record early voting since Oct. 26, amid an unusually warm, sunny day.

At the Riverhead Free Library in Riverhead, poll inspector Malcolm Grigg, 69, said there had been a slow but steady stream of voters since they opened at 6 a.m.

"Everything went smoothly, no problems whatsoever all week," he said.

In Nassau, 667,049 votes were cast in total between early voting and on Election Day — 225,927 Democrats, 224,061 Republicans and the balance to blank or other parties, the Democratic elections commissioner of the county said about an hour before polls closed.

There are 1,009,105 registered voters in Nassau. 

More Republicans than Democrats voted Tuesday so far in Suffolk County, according to the most recent numbers from the county Board of Elections. As of 6 p.m. 120,875 Republicans had voted on Election Day compared to 107,185 Democrats. A total of 347,886 people voted Tuesday, a number that also includes unaffiliated voters and members of other parties.

In total 637,312 Suffolk County residents had voted as of 6 p.m., including early voting. That breaks down to 231,268 Republicans and 203,149 Democrats, according to the Suffolk Board of Elections.

There are 1,086,373 registered voters in Suffolk.

A total of 574,169 ballots were cast in person during early voting between Oct. 26 and Sunday, according to both counties' Board of Elections, Newsday reported Monday. Nassau saw 284,742 voters and Suffolk had 289,427 voters, officials also said then.

Incidents in both counties

There were minor incidents at polling places in both counties.

Signs supporting Trump and Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito were illegally displayed on a ladder near ballot booths inside a Freeport firehouse, according to a photo of the site.

Dawn de la Llera, 48, of Freeport — a Democratic voter for Harris and Gillen — said that she walked in around 1:30 p.m. to accompany her husband to vote. She was aghast at what she saw.

"I look up, and I’m like, ‘what the…,’" she paused before finishing the sentence. She said she alerted three poll workers: "There’s a huge Trump-D’Esposito sign right there."

She added: "It shouldn’t be in the firehouse. That’s a public space. You don’t put political signs in public space."

De la Llera, who had voted early, said that the workers began making calls to the Board of Elections to find out what do.

When the Board of Elections found out about the display, the signs were removed, according to James Scheuerman, a Nassau elections commissioner.

"Once we were notified, it was pulled down," Scheuerman said.

In Amityville at Northeast Elementary School, some voters were initially told their ballots weren’t available.

"One of the election districts’ ballots were inadvertently sent to a different polling place in error. Upon notification we retrieved and delivered the ballots to their proper location," said Manzella, an elections commissioner.

In Great Neck, Sahar Wasey, 44, said she voted in her first election since becoming a U.S. citizen. Wasey came to the United States from Pakistan in 2011.

She said she decided to vote for Harris after hearing the candidate speak about wanting to make life easier on single parents.

"That hit for me," said Wasey, a Great Neck Plaza resident.

In Riverhead, Nicole Jackson, 30, said voting was "better than I thought it was going to be," with no lines.

"Today, I was like, OK whatever else is not important, this is top tier, you’ve got to go vote," she said, adding that she also urged her co-workers to vote. "I said, ‘Don’t complain that something is not being done if you’re not trying to make a difference.’"

She declined to say whom she voted for, but said her priority was the presidential race and she was not as familiar with the other races.

"It’s sad cause as I was looking at the rest of them on the ballot; none of them got the spotlight that they deserved," she said. "All of the focus was on Kamala and Trump."

John Ellwood, 55, of Riverhead said he voted Conservative straight across all races, as he usually does.

"I have a conservative point of view and I think we need to get back to that in this country," he said.

Voting in person at the Riverhead library was "quick and painless," said Chuck Mogul, 84.

Mogul said women’s reproductive rights were at the forefront of his mind when choosing a president and he voted for Kamala Harris.

"Trump ... is only out for himself," Mogul said. "I want someone who is for the American people."

Mogul, said of the campaigning: “They overdid it,” Mogul said of the constant barrage of campaign ads on television. “They spent a fortune. They could have used that money to help poor people and charities.”

In Old Brookville, Vincent and Gina Lasorsa, 61 and 60, said they voted for Trump because "we need change."

The Lasorsas expressed frustration with the country’s immigration system, as well as the economy.

"Have you been to the grocery store lately?" said Vincent Lasorsa, referring to prices.

Khristina St. Juste, of Old Brookville, brought her daughter Isabella, 19, to the polls for Isabella’s first presidential election. Mother and daughter said they both voted for Harris.

They said they were motivated by Harris’ support for women’s reproductive freedom.

"I told her as we were leaving, we’re going to go make history," Khristina St. Juste said from outside the polling site at Old Brookville Village Hall. "We’re voting for the first women president, hopefully."

Mohammed-Ali Rizvi, 35, a Greenvale resident, said he was frustrated with both major parties’ position toward the Israel-Hamas war.

"I’m hoping for enough votes for a third party so that we can have three candidates on the next ballot," Rizvi, 35, said.

"There are pros and cons to both candidates as an American, but there is a humanitarian pro to voting for someone who is not in the system," he said.

Rizvi noted he has 3- and 4-year-old sons.

"I have friends from Palestine, but when I see children being put through what they’re being put through, and they happen to look like my children, it strikes a chord," he said.

On Tuesday, a line of about 20 voters stretched out the front doors of Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst as polls opened at 6 a.m. The line moved quickly and the process inside was smooth, voters said.

Lynette Bobb, 58, from Cedarhurst, said she works as a nurse and that health care was an important topic for the election. "People need health care, especially for the older people," said Bobb, who added that she felt Vice President Kamala Harris is the better candidate on the issue.

The "survival of the country" was the motivation for Avi Rhaar, 70, of Woodmere, to come to Lawrence High school at about 7 a.m. to cast his vote.

He said he used to vote for Democrats when he was younger, but that he "can’t remember the last time I voted for a Democratic president."

Josh Klein, 32, of Woodmere, was among the first people to vote at the site Tuesday morning. He portrayed the current administration as "weak" on foreign policy and said he voted for Trump.

At least 25 people were lined up before 6 a.m. at Birchwood Intermediate School in South Huntington, many donning jackets and coats, and holding thermoses to stand in low 50s temperatures as the sun began to rise.

Giovanna Ferraro, 35, of South Huntington, said she teared up as she cast her vote for Harris.

Not only was it her first time voting, but she is five months pregnant with a baby girl and is an advocate for women’s rights.

"This election is very important," she said. "I’m voting for my daughter."

Teacher Lauren Mendelsohn, 43, and her husband, Brian Mendelsohn, 46, of Melville, were among the many professionals voting before the work day. She described her voting experience as "excellent and easy."

Alaina Kiesel, 29, of South Huntington, said she was surprised to have such a pleasant, smooth voting experience. Election Day can cause anxiety for many, so Kiesel had even written down good intentions for the day to "have a fun time."

Lines thinned out somewhat as the morning went on, but voters seemed passionate at polling places.

Worries about the political climate

Noreen Whyne, 71, of Hempstead, said the political climate "is just going crazy."

"I don’t like that," Whyne said outside Barack Obama Elementary School in Hempstead. "I’m hoping that Kamala, the first woman of color, will do a good job as she promised."

Esther Raja, 48, of Hempstead, said she "wants a change" and doesn’t "like the way the country is running." She said she voted for former President Donald Trump.

"He really cares about this country and gets the job done," said Raja. "He knows how to tackle dictators around the world. He’s ... not a lawyer — they don’t know how to handle this country."

At the Blue Point Library, Jon Frabizio, 22, of Bayport, declined to say how he voted, but said he's glad the election will be over soon.

"I just feel like there's been too much anxiety over it for everyone through social media," said Frabizio. "So I'm just like, 'I'm over it.' I just want to know [the outcome] at this point."

Brianna Buompastore, 33, of Blue Point, also declined to say which candidate she favored. Her husband voted earlier Tuesday so they could take turns caring for their son at home.

"Whoever wins, hopefully we continue to move in an upward pace," she said.

William Ferraro, 38, of Blue Point, brought his 4-year-old son, Jaxson, to the library as he cast his vote.

Ferraro, who said he was "just ready for all the ads to be over," said Tuesday’s experience was great for both of them, as Jaxson checked out some books and workers taught him how to vote.

The library held its own election, for children — of children's characters Bluey versus Pete the Cat. Jaxson voted for Bluey.

Natalie Kenney, 44, of Patchogue said she has election fatigue.

“Am I going to be happy that it’s over? Yes. Am I happy that I voted? Absolutely,” she said.

She said she feels like this election was more tense than past ones.

“I feel like people had a heightened awareness of the issues and tensions were definitely high,” she said.

The 2020 voter turnout in Nassau saw 396,504 votes cast for the Biden/Harris ticket and 326,716 cast for Trump/Pence. Biden won Nassau by 69,788 votes

In Suffolk, 381,021 were cast for Biden/Harris and 381,253 were cast for Trump/Pence. Trump won Suffolk by 232 votes.

Other high-profile races in 2024 include U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s effort to win a third term as she faces Republican Michael Sapraicone, a retired police detective.

Long Island’s four congressional races are expected to play a major role in control of the House of Representatives. Republicans now have a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.

The State Legislature, while expected to easily remain in Democratic control, faces a challenge by Republicans to continue to make inroads as in recent elections in the Senate and Assembly.

The statewide proposition on the back of most ballots asks New Yorkers whether they want to protect abortion rights in the state Constitution, which would provide more powerful protection than under current law. The proposition would also add more groups of people for protection under the Constitution against discrimination because of issues including how they identify their gender.

In Suffolk County, voters face a proposition that asks them to hike sales taxes by an eighth of a percentage point for the construction of new sewers and septic systems.

Election officials urge any voter who sees intimidation or obstacles to voting to contact the state Attorney General’s Election Protection Hotline at 866-390-2992 or by visiting electionhotline.ag.ny.gov.