early to cast ballots in Queens
The Obusan family outside the early voting site at LaGuardia Community College.
Queens Early Voting
Poll Sites
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | OCT. 30-NOV. 5, 2020 7
Vasquez-Stevens and her husband,
James Stevens, have made a tradition
of bringing their sons to the polls, hoping
to get them involved in political life
at an early age. Practicing the right to
vote, they said, has never been more
important.
Expecting others to feel the same
way, the Vasquez-Stevens family
thought early voting would be a good
way to avoid the crowds on Nov. 3, the
day of the general election.
“We wanted to get it in early and not
just wait for the maddens of actual election
day,” Stevens said. “We wanted to
get it over with but we did not expect
these lines.”
The family arrived at Queens College
at 11:15 a.m., on Sunday, Oct. 25.
It wasn’t until 2:45 p.m., that they had
cast their ballot.
Wait times at early voting sites
across Queens were similar both days
of the weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 24,
approximately 19,200 Queens residents
cast a ballot. The next day, a little over
21,000 voters went to the polls early.
“It was fun to do, but the wait wasn’t
that fun,” said Haram Asim, a voter at
Queens College who was casting her
ballot for the first time. “The wait was
about three hours. I didn’t expect to be
waiting that long. I thought early voting
meant quicker voting.”
Though the lines were long, many
voters felt voting in-person at an early
voting site was worth the wait. Some
voters shared doubts about the security
of voting by mail – a concern that
has largely been unfounded – while
others felt that in a year marred by
COVID-19, a disease that has caused
one of the largest mass death event in
U.S. history, long lines were nothing to
be frustrated by.
“I personally think the whole coronavirus
situation has made people a bit
more tolerant,” said Ira Obusan, who
was voting with his family at LaGuardia
Community College.
Obusan also expressed his worry
that President Donald Trump won’t
accept the results of the election if he
loses, a statement the president himself
has confirmed multiple times.
“Unfortunately, with the way a certain
party member is pitching that it’s
going to be a fraudulent result, I wanted
to make sure there was no wiggle
room out so to speak,” Obusan said.
Early voting in Queens continues
through Sunday, Nov. 1. Voters must
cast their ballots at their designated
early voting site, which can be found
on the city’s Board of Elections website.
Rockaway YMCA 207 Beach 73rd Street 11692
Resorts World Casino New York City 110-00 Rockaway Boulevard 11420
Holy Trinity Parish Church 222-05 116th Avenue 11411
Rochdale Village Community Center 169-65 137th Avenue 11434
York College –
Academic Core Building
94-20 Guy R Brewer Boulevard 11451
Creedmoor Hospital 79-25 Winchester Boulevard 11427
Korean Community Services 203-05 32nd Avenue 11361
Helen Marshall Cultural Center at
Queens Borough Hall
120-55 Queens Boulevard 11424
Queens College 65-30 Kissena Boulevard 11367
The Boys’ Club of New York –
Abbe Clubhouse
133-01 41st Road 11355
Board of Elections – Queens Voting
Machine Facility Annex
66-26 Metropolitan Ave 11379
Queensborough Elks Lodge No. 878 82-20 Queens Boulevard 11373
Rego Center Community Room 61-00 97th Street 11374
LaGuardia Community College 31-10 Thomson Avenue 11101
Queens Public Library
at Jackson Heights
35-51 81st Street 11372
First Baptist Church of East Elmhurst 100-10 Astoria Boulevard 11369
Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens 21-12 30th Road 11102
Museum of the Moving Image 36-01 35th Avenue 11106
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