Heavy turnout for first days of early voting in Westchester

Voters in Westchester County appeared to turn out in heavy numbers when early voting began on Saturday, Oct. 26, just as did voters in other parts of New York state. Early voting in Connecticut got under way on Oct. 21.

At the Westchester County Board of Elections (BOE) headquarters in White Plains, within a half-hour of early voting getting underway at 10 a.m. on the 26th the line of people waiting to get in wrapped around three sides of the building. The line grew even longer as the day progressed. A long line of voters also existed the following day.

The BOE’s headquarters is one of 25 sites throughout the county where voters are able to cast their ballots in early voting through Sunday, Nov. 3.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said that on both this past Saturday and Sunday, the lines to vote at Greenburgh Town Hall were very long, with people waiting close to two hours at times.

Feiner said that Greenburgh is doing what it did four years ago to help people determine for themselves what is happening with lines waiting to get in for voting by providing live video streams of the parking lot and lobby at Town Hall.

“You can determine when voting lines are shortest,” Feiner said. “You can then time your vote to when there won’t be long lines. Think we are the only early voting site in the state that offers this service.”

On Monday morning, shortly before noon, a line of voters had formed in the Town Hall parking lot.

New York City set a record for turnout on the first day of early voting, with 140,000 voters showing up at designated early voting locations in the city.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James today provided a briefing on various efforts being made by the state to protect voting rights and public safety across New York state during the 2024 elections. Those efforts include the use of multi-agency resources to combat misinformation and respond to any impediments to voting.

“We have established tools and protections to secure the right of all citizens to participate in this election and we will always stand up to defend those rights against those who threaten them,” Hochul said.

James said, “New York has a long history of free and fair elections, and this year is no different. My office has been preparing for months for a safe and smooth election process, and we will continue to do everything in our power to defend New Yorkers’ fundamental right to vote. If you have any issues at the polls or casting your vote, please contact my office’s Election Protection Hotline.”