The Final Hour at a New York Polling Place

Registered voters took advantage of the 9 p.m. closing time in the New York primaries to cast their selections today at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village. Dozens of voters trickled into the first-floor gymnasium after 8 p.m., on this cool evening that fell just short of misty.

At least half a dozen cars rushed up to the school’s main entrance to drop off voters in the final hour of the primaries, but inside the atmosphere was calm. Poll workers manned four voting booths, covering Queens Borough Districts 25-28, and were standing by to assist voters with any troubles they might encounter during the process. Many voters entered the school building together with friends and family, chatting both on the way in and the way out.

Nevertheless, the day contained inevitable difficulties.

“It was very active,” said volunteer Jacqueline Saavedra, who was present for her fifth primary. “There were a lot of mistakes in the [voter registration] books, and names left out from the book – such as this one,” she said, as a woman approached her desk to inquire why her name had not been listed. “A lot of people had to sign affidavits,” explained Saavedra.

In addition, this year’s voter participation was tempered by the Super Tuesday date of Feb. 5, significantly earlier than the March 2 date for both parties’ primaries in 2004.

“Weather did affect the turnout, since you go away for the winter,” said Saavedra, referencing the neighborhood’s high percentage of elderly residents, adding, “It was pretty early for a [New York] primary.”

The winter season, however, could not prevent many from adding their votes to the democratic process.

“The primary was very important,” said an officer named Bill as he left the campus. When asked what the most important issue of the campaign was for him, he simply replied, “The war.”

Some people, eager as they were to participate, postponed their votes until the final moments.

“When is it, till nine?” one woman exasperatedly asked two voters walking by, as she jumped out of her car at 12 minutes to the hour. “A couple of minutes!” Louis Saavedra exclaimed to a frantic voter passing by at 8:55, while he took down the multilingual “Vote Here” signs adorning one of the school’s field’s fences.

Though he estimated a count of over 500 voters for the day, including around 240 in his own District 26, Saavedra, volunteering at a Van Buren election for the second time, was rather disappointed in the day’s proceedings.

“I expected a higher turnout,” he said, “because here is where we choose our future leaders. But overall, I just hope for people to come out and vote in November.”