Election Day: Polls close; turnout robust as LI voters pick governor, Congress, State Legislature

Tens of thousands of Long Island residents cast ballots Tuesday to decide who will govern New York state, fill its Congressional seats and take statewide office — part of national midterm elections considered to be one of the most important in recent times.

Polls closed at 9 p.m.

In Nassau County, 350,254 total voters cast ballots on Tuesday as of 8:30 p.m., according to Democratic Elections Commissioner James Scheuerman. With early voting, the total was 474,234.

That includes 129,904 registered Republicans; 122,449 registered Democrats; 74,779 voters unaffiliated with a political party. Remaining voters were affiliated with minor political parties.

"Voters are voting in great numbers," Scheuerman told Newsday in an interview Tuesday evening. "A lot of exciting races and a lot of competitive races so far. Voters are making sure they vote."

In Suffolk County, a total of 356,152 voters cast ballots on election day as of 6 p.m. That included 104,626 Democrats, 144,927 Republicans, and 96,497 voters unaffiliated with a political party. Some 10,102 voters were affiliated with minor political parties.

In total, including early voting, 454,378 ballots were cast in Suffolk. That figure includes 143,787 votes from registered Democrats, 179,007 from Republicans, and 119,228 from voters unaffiliated with political parties. Another 12,356 votes came from voters affiliated with minor political parties.

"It's a very busy day, lots of voters are turning out," Gail Lolis, the deputy Suffolk elections commissioner for Democrats told Newsday.

Statewide, nearly 1.2 million voters cast ballots during nine days of early voting that ended Sunday, according to the state Board of Elections. In Nassau County, 123,115 residents voted early and in Suffolk County, 98,226, according to state figures.

Voters went to the polls driven by issues such as inflation, crime, abortion rights and the environment. Many said the governor's race was a big draw that brought them out Tuesday. 

At the top of the ballot is the election of the first governor not named Andrew M. Cuomo since 2010. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of Buffalo faces Rep. Lee Zeldin of Shirley, the Republican nominee.

Some polls had showed Hochul’s lead dwindling in recent weeks. Hochul is seeking to be the first woman elected governor in state history. She rose from lieutenant governor in August 2021 when Cuomo resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment.

Steady flow of voters

Foot traffic remained steady at the Manorville Fire House polling site on Silas Carter Road in the early evening with a line stretching through the doors and into the parking lot, where drivers could be spotted circling the lot searching for a place to park.

Carol Haugaard of Manorville said the 15-minute wait was the longest she’s experienced for a midterm election at the site. She said she braved the chilly evening to vote for Zeldin and other Republican candidates, saying Democratic policies regarding the environment and climate change are “too much.” 

"Zeldin really seems like a good guy,” Haugaard said. “Hochul didn’t even get elected.”

But the governor still had support from other voters at the location, like Joanne Vater of Calverton, who said she voted for Democrats “to fight for democracy.”

“I want to make sure we preserve our free and fair elections,” she said, calling the enthusiasm other residents show for Republican politicians “a little bit scary.”

“They support them like a sports team,” Vater said. “The Giants didn’t get that kind of support when they were in the Super Bowl.”

East Meadow Fire Department Headquarters saw a continuous flow of evening voters. Locals came alone, in pairs or with their children to cast their vote before polls closed.

East Meadow resident Linda Eterno, 60, said it was important for her to vote to protect abortion rights.

“My daughter is 24 and I want her to grow up with the same rights I had, regardless of whether she wants to use them or not,” Eterno said.

Eterno, who said she agreed with Hochul on some issues, added that protecting democracy was vital for this election.

“Just believing in the laws of our democracy,” she said. “When a vote is placed, it’s counted.”

Viviana Sossa, 44, was joined by her 6-year-old son at the polling site. She said it was time for a change.

“What’s important to me right is the cost of living. It’s really bad,” she said. “Things keep getting worse and worse. For the middle-class working people. It keeps getting harder for us.”

Sossa said currently, the future is not looking promising for the future generations.

“I’m registered with the Democratic Party, but I voted all red today because I want change,” she said.

Sossa, who works for a medical insurance company, said inflation can be seen in food, medical premiums and in interest rates. 

In Bay Shore, those casting ballots Tuesday afternoon included former Republican Congressman Rick Lazio, who served the 2nd Congressional District from 1993-2001. He was among the steady flow of voters at Newins Bay Shore Ford dealership.

Lazio said the economy, inflation and government spending were among the top issues he considered this election. Affordable housing, he said, was another big issue in his neighborhood.

“Affordable housing is a big issue in a suburban area like this where costs are high and you don’t want to see people, who are raised here and want to stay here, have to move away because the cost of living is so high,” the Brightwaters resident said.

Lazio, who said Zeldin was once a volunteer in his campaign, noted that the congressman's ideas align more with his own.

“I think he speaks to the issue making sure we find balance on the crime issue,” Lazio said. “I think we’re out of balance, speaking as a former prosecutor here in Suffolk County.”

Max Dutton, 45, of Brightwaters, said he doesn’t support Zeldin’s past voting record, including his vote to overturn the 2020 election, and therefore will support Hochul this election.

“I think he’s going to be an obstructionist and do whatever he can to ruin progress,” he said. “It’s concerning for me that he got as far as he did.”

Crime, inflation, women's rights key issues

Many voters flocked to Huntington Town Hall before work hours Tuesday morning to cast their ballots. Crime, inflation and women’s rights were a few issues on their minds.

Amy Buckley, 53, of Huntington, said a woman’s freedom of choice and stricter gun laws led to her decision to vote for Democrats across the board. Buckley, whose son is a police officer, said the number of "random" guns in the street make her nervous.

“It’s the freedom of choice and it’s about making sure we take care of each other as a nation,” she said. “Guns are also a huge problem and I think we need stricter gun laws. I know everyone is talking about crime and that’s certainly important, but I think we need to start with guns at this point.”

“I really just want to bring America back to being cohesive again," Buckley said. "We’re just a very separate nation right now."

Joseph Bariatti, 34, of Huntington, said he believes Zeldin is the right candidate for governor.

“I’m voting for Zeldin because I believe he will be the candidate to take care of the population of New York, not just one party or the other,” Bariatti said. “Fair and balanced for both parties. I think he has the right idea to balance the budget and take care of New Yorkers.”

Bariatti said he supports abortion rights and Zeldin’s tough stance on crime.

Cold Spring Harbor resident Henry Freire, 63, said inflation and crime are among his top concerns. He said Zeldin’s stance on both issues align with his own.

“I’m a Zeldin supporter. I was also a Trump supporter for president,” Freire said. “It’s his stance on crime and inflation. [Hochul] has done a terrible job. She says all the right buzz words, but does not act on crime. She hasn’t done anything for the state to battle inflation.”

Freire said he voted across party lines for other local candidates. 

Speaking outside the Freeport Recreation Center polling site, Troy Cobbs, 60, described himself as an independent voter who cares most about the issues of women's reproductive rights and crime and safety as he cast his ballot Tuesday.

Ultimately, he said he voted for Democratic candidates because he believes their policies are better for the environment, the issue that has historically mattered most to him.

"I just think you're getting more bang for your buck with Democrats this time around," the lifelong Freeport resident said.

Enith McCloud of Freeport also said she has concerns about crime, but she feels it's important to "keep New York blue."

"I just hope everyone comes out to vote," she said. "This is an important election." 

At the polling site at the West Hempstead library, Gail Bennington, 65, of West Hempstead, said she thought about her five daughters as she cast her ballot.

The issue that was on her mind? “Women’s rights,” she said. “That’s the biggest issue for me.”

Gun control is the second most important issue to her, she added.

Declining to name candidates she voted for, Bennington said she cast her ballot “for people I think will bring calm back to the nation.”

Fellow West Hempstead resident Jason Williams, 38, said he believes the nation is experiencing “turmoil right now.” A registered Democrat, he said the environment is the issue that matters most to him.

“Zeldin taking over is a really scary thing,” Williams said. “I’m thinking about my kids and the environment.”

He said he is worried that Zeldin will do better than expected in New York City and he feels Hochul hasn’t had enough of a presence on Long Island.

“It’s a shame,” Williams said. “I think she’s capable, but I don’t really know a lot about her either. It’s a weird position to be in.” 

Many of the voters at the Commack High School polling site, meanwhile, said they were supporting Zeldin and the other Republican candidates.

Ashley Causi, a 31-year-old mother of two, said she disagreed with the state’s mandate requiring children to wear masks last year.

“Today was a very important election for us because of the way children were treated last year,” she said. “Masked and unable to do anything. I had to take my daughter out of all her activities because she was forced to wear a mask.”

Causi, who said she voted for all Republicans on the ballot, said Zeldin’s stance on mask mandates is what solidified her vote.

“For us it’s all about the kids,” she said.

Inflation and the economy were two factors that brought William Cirias, 42, to the polls. He said he works for his family’s local business, and they have suffered from inflation.

Cirias, who labeled himself as an independent, said it was time for change.

“I feel that what I’m seeing and what my company is seeing, and the way it’s going with the Democrat policies … something new has to come and I feel that only the Republicans, for this term, can make a turnaround,” he said.

John Morrissey, 58, said he voted for Zeldin because of his views on crime and the southern border. He added that since Hochul was a part of Cuomo’s administration during the COVID-19 nursing controversy, he lost trust in her ability to lead.

“I just don’t trust her anymore,” he said.

On a local level, Morrissey said he supports Republican Nick LaLota, who is facing Democrat Bridget Fleming, a Suffolk County legislator, in the contest for Zeldin’s 1st congressional district seat.

“He came to my house, and I spoke to him, and that’s why I voted for him,” Morrissey said. “I met him personally and I did like him."

Feeling fed up

Mark Murray of Hicksville described himself as a lifelong Republican who began voting for Democrats in 2020, saying he was fed up with “the lying” from Republican candidates.

“It’s about democracy,” Murray said. “In this day and age, watching the news, you have to research what these people say. So much of it is bogus.”

Murray said he was happy to vote for Hochul Tuesday, but was concerned that she and other Democrats didn’t campaign aggressively enough on the Island.

“On the way here, all along the way, you saw Republican signs everywhere,” Murray said.

Marzema Paszek, a native of Poland who has lived in Hicksville since 2005, declined to say who she voted for but cited concern over inflation as the most important issue for her.

She said she hopes for a large voter turnout this year.

“We should really vote. It’s our duty,” she said. “Some of us worked hard to become U.S. citizens.”

One key statewide race pits first-term Attorney General Letitia James of Brooklyn, who is seeking her second term, against Michael Henry, an attorney from Queens.

Long Islander Thomas DiNapoli of Great Neck Plaza is seeking another four-year term as state comptroller, a job he began in 2007, which makes him the longest serving statewide elected official. He faces Republican Paul Rodriguez of Brooklyn, who spent a career in finance.

At the federal level, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of Brooklyn, the Senate’s majority leader, is seeking his fifth term. He faces Joseph Pinion III of Yonkers, who is a former conservative TV commentator.

In addition, four congressional seats are being contested on Long Island that could also help determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives next year. New York’s 1st, 3rd and 4th congressional districts on Long Island are open seats, so neither party has the name recognition and campaign cash advantage of incumbency.

In Albany, Republicans are seeking to flip some seats from Democrats in the state Senate, where Democrats have a 42-20 supermajority with one vacancy. That supermajority provides the two-thirds needed in each chamber to override a governor’s veto. Republicans needed to win at least two seats to end the supermajority and 12 to take the majority.

The Assembly Democrats have a stronger and more stable 107-to-42 supermajority to override a veto.

Voters will also decide whether to approve a statewide proposition. The "Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022,” if approved by voters, would authorize the state to borrow $4.2 billion for capital projects to combat climate change and for environmental protection and public health projects.

In addition, Long Islanders will vote on some county judgeships, and Suffolk County voters will choose a county clerk and a county comptroller as well as rule on a referendum to limit legislators to 12-year terms without exceptions for nonconsecutive terms.

Buckley, the Huntington voter, said she voted for term limits for Suffolk County officials and also voted yes to the environmental bond.

“Yesterday was 78 degrees, so the environment is a huge thing, so anyway we can fund that, I support that,” she said.

Freire, the voter from Cold Spring Harbor, said he supports term limits, but voted against the environmental bond proposition.

“I don’t want politicians getting their hands on billions of dollars,” he said.

Heavy early and absentee voting

Absentee voting was heavy statewide, with 327,886 New Yorkers choosing to vote by absentee so far. Those include 200,243 Democrats, 72,495 Republicans and 50,604 members of minor parties or not affiliated with any party. In all, 564,381 requests for absentee ballots were made statewide. 

In Nassau, total of 50,396 absentee ballots were requested, 32,345 were returned. A total of 18,051 ballots have not been returned, but must be postmarked by Tuesday.

Democrats held a slight edge in early voting, according to Board of Election officials in both counties.

In Nassau, there were 123,436 total early voters. 51,452 (41.6%) were Democrats; 45,766 early voters (37.1%) were Republicans

In Suffolk, there were 98,226 total early voters. Of that number, 39,161 (39.9%) were Democrats, 34,080 (34.7%) were Republicans, according to BOE data.

As of Monday, 30,578 Nassau County voters had mailed in or dropped off absentee ballots out of 49,509 ballots requested, according to the state board. Among the absentee ballots so far received in Nassau County, 15,678 were from Democrats, 9,205 were from Republicans, and 5,325 were from members of minor parties or who chose not to enroll in any party.

In Suffolk County as of Monday, 33,284 absentee ballots had been received by elections officials out of 49,297 requested, according to the state board. Of those, 15,749 were from Democrats, 9,804 were from Republicans, and 7,058 were from members of minor parties or voters not enrolled in a party.

Absentee ballots must be received by county boards of election by the close of polls on Tuesday, or postmarked no later than Tuesday.