Early voting begins: Long lines reported Saturday at Long Island polling places

Long Islanders waited in long lines to cast their ballots at polling places Saturday, the first day of early voting in the general election.

Crowds were common throughout the day: In downtown Glen Cove at 9:30 a.m., over 100 stood in line to vote at City Hall. Some said they waited over an hour; polling places in Nassau County had opened at 9.

“The line was so, so long,” said Ruth Yuen, 90. She said she arrived at 8:15 "and I thought I would be at the very front” of the line, but there was already a crowd. She voted around 9:45 a.m., she said.

At the Wyandanch Public Library, more than 40 people waited in line before polls there and the rest of Suffolk County opened at 10 a.m. A steady stream of voters arrived during the first hour.

Wanda Moore, of Babylon, showed up an hour before voting began and cast the first ballot at the site. “This is important for women,” she said of the election, in which Republican former President Donald Trump faces Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

Lines also were reported at polling places in Hicksville, Hempstead, Massapequa and Kings Park, where voters at Kings Park High School said they waited at least an hour to cast a ballot Saturday morning.

In Massapequa, the line of hundreds stretched through the halls and around Robert E. Picken Town Hall South around noon. Some voters there said they waited two hours before casting their ballots. And at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville, voters reported a wait of about 20 to 30 minutes as of 2 p.m.

Nassau Democratic Elections Commissioner James Scheuerman, reached Saturday afternoon, said “voters are definitely coming out in droves” and the turnout had met expectations.

Later, after the polls closed at 6 p.m., Scheuerman said it was the highest  first day of early voting in Nassau: 29,010 had voted on Saturday. Those figures included 12,116 registered Democrats and 10,676 registered Republicans, he said. That eclipsed the 2020 first-day early voting total in Nassau of 21,451 that Newsday reported at the time.

In Suffolk County, a total of 34,227 residents voted in person Saturday, according to Betty Manzella, the Republican Suffolk County Board of Elections commissioner. She said Saturday was the highest first day of early voting in Suffolk and the turnout exceeded 2020 and 2022 combined.

Patty Papantoniou, 58, was voting in Massapequa. She said she came from an Italian immigrant family. “My parents never voted, and I'm here to represent — we're immigrants, and this country has given us a foundation to build on for our future families,” she said.

In Farmingville, Charles Behnstedt, of Lake Grove, said he heard the line had been much longer earlier in the morning. “It went pretty fast,” he said after voting. “[They've] got a whole row of people up there to check you in.”

Glen Cove turnout

In Glen Cove, Marie Divincenzo, 77, of that city, said she voted for Trump because she cares about inflation and immigration.

“Trump said that he's not going to charge a tax [on] Social Security, which is a big thing. I'm thinking of retiring. ... So, that would be a great thing for me,” said Divincenzo, a teaching aide.

Susan Freeland, who declined to give her age, said she was voting for Harris in what she described as “the most consequential election” of her life.

“The most important issue is the preservation of law and the Constitution,” she said. “I just worry ... about our future, the future of my grandchildren.”

John Maccarone, 65, said he was voting for Trump because Harris is “wrong on every one of the issues … the economy, foreign policy, immigration, men not playing with women's sports.”

Carol Foresta, 77, also said she was voting for Harris.

“I care about democracy, I care about respect for women and for people of all different faiths and diversity,” she said. “I feel that to have someone who is a convicted felon ... hold the highest level of government is just embarrassing.”

Casting ballots in Wyandanch

In Wyandanch, Floree Alston, 81, of that community, said she made a point to come out for early voting. She arrived at the library around 8:30 a.m., she said.

She said she voted for Harris. “She’s for the people,” Alston said. “She’s for us.”

While the presidential race highlights the 2024 election, voters across Suffolk County will decide a number of local races, including a proposition that would raise sales taxes by an eighth of a percentage point to help fund improved wastewater treatment systems.

Shawnta Mackey, 36, of Wyandanch, said she voted in favor of the proposition.

“Protecting the water, we really need that,” she said.

Norina Geter, 72, of Lindenhurst, planned to cast an early vote alongside her son, Earl Ingram, 49. But the pair had already requested an absentee ballot since they planned to be out of town on Election Day. Rather than voting by traditional means, the pair handed in their absentee ballots.

“Democracy is at stake,” Geter said. “It’s important to make sure we keep our democracy. That’s why we were so diligent to make sure we got here early and got it done because there’s too much at stake.” 

A line in Kings Park

In Kings Park at noon, a line of more than 100 people stretched from the high school entrance into the parking lot.

David Grinberg, 56, of Smithtown, said it was his first time voting early. He searched online Friday night to find the closest location.

A registered Independent who voted for Trump, Grinberg said his top priority for a new administration is “unconditional support for Israel.” He said secure borders and the economy are also key issues.

“I think unfortunately it’s been very contentious between a lot of people and I don’t think it should be that way,” he said of the election cycle. “Everyone should respect everyone’s opinions regarding who they vote for.”

Stephanie Menzer, 40, of Smithtown, waited more than hour alongside her husband and their 16-month-old son to vote. She said early voting provided convenience around her work schedule. She said she “feels strongly” about keeping Trump out of office for a second term.

Ashley Stika, 32, of Kings Park, said she cast her first ballot in a New York election after previously living in Arizona. She said she considers herself a moderate and had been undecided until a speech from former candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. solidified her vote for Trump.

The election also includes races for Congress, the state Senate, state Assembly and judgeships. There are several ways for registered voters to cast ballots in the general election through Election Day, Nov. 5.

Hempstead rally

In Hempstead, the bass line from a hip-hop track thumped at a festive get-out-the-vote rally organized by Black Voters of Long Island, an advocacy group, in Denton Green Park in Hempstead on Saturday afternoon. A shuttle bus waited nearby to ferry voters to the nearest poll site around 1:30 p.m.

Retha Fernandez, a native of Freeport and current Suffolk County resident, said she cofounded Black Voters of Long Island nearly two years ago to provide voter education services and encourage voting.

She said her group is not affiliated with any party, but they endorse candidates based on responses they receive to a questionnaire about how each candidate will work “to ensure economic and social equity for Black Long Islanders.”

Fernandez said early voting is especially important for working Black voters who struggle to find time on Election Day.

“This gives more people the flexibility to vote. Nothing should hold you back,” she said.

With Michael Gormley, Josh Stewart and Olivia Winslow