In Elmont, voters scramble to assigned poll site in final stretch
Elmont Public Library was largely quiet by 7 p.m. on Election Day, when most of the few voters there said they had shown up at the wrong location and were scrambling to get to their assigned polling place in time to cast a ballot.
Voters who spoke with Newsday at the library were planning to vote along party lines.
Peter Robinson, 64, of Floral Park, votes every election and was in a hurry to leave the Elmont Library to reach his assigned polling place. He told Newsday there wasn’t a particular candidate or issue on this year’s ballot that grabbed his attention, but added "anything Democrat I’m for."
Justin John, 25, of Elmont, also had a mix-up with his assigned polling place and told Newsday there wasn’t any issue on this year’s ballot that motivated him to come out. A two-time Donald Trump voter, John said he planned to take the same approach as Robinson, but vote for Republicans up and down the ticket.
"It’s common practice," John told Newsday when asked why he came out. "My parents also emphasize voting."
Vincent McBean, 32, of Elmont, was in the correct polling place. He described himself as a "generally" consistent voter who cast a ballot for the Democratic presidential candidates in 2020 and 2024.
McBean said he recently moved to Elmont from Queens and wasn’t up to speed on all of the local ballot items, but believes "it’s always important to come out to vote." His plan this year was to cast his ballot for all of the Democratic candidates on the ticket.
Elmont resident Gianni Mentor, 23, told Newsday he planned to vote for "mostly just a bunch of Democrats," adding that he too wasn’t driven to show up by any particular ballot item this year.
Mentor explained that he decided to cast a ballot because, "everywhere you go, you’re always hearing that your vote matters, it’ll change many different things."
"I just want to make sure I have at least some sort of impact," Mentor said.
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
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