Brooklyn College’s campus took a role in the 2020 election as a polling place for early voting. On Oct. 24, the West Quad building opened its doors to admit a line of early voters.
Some voters lined up outside the college’s gates before the polls opened at 10am. Even once the polls opened, the socially-distant line swept past the open gates of campus and down the sidewalk, winding beside Roosevelt Hall. Most voters waited hours before entering the polling place.
“People were patient,” said Zach Pellecchia, a BC student who went the first day and stood in line for three hours. “It was a long ass line, but it was long because we all wanted to do good. It was nice to go on campus,” he added.
The line’s length only increased within the next few days. According to the NYC Board of Elections, Brooklyn reached almost 200,000 cast ballots within the first five days of early voting, surpassing the other boroughs in early voter turnout. Cumulatively, New York City gathered almost 700,000 votes in the first six days, making up most of the state’s 1 million early votes.
Despite steady COVID-19 cases across Brooklyn, many decided to vote early rather than apply for absentee ballots or wait until Election Day. Several weeks ago, thousands of Brooklyn voters received misnamed ballots, destabilizing already shaky trust in the mail-in system, which has been very slow.
“The USPS is being throttled by the government,” said Pellecchia. “As someone who is able to go out and wear a mask, I think mail-in voting should be for those who can’t, especially populations that are high risk.”
In the few days leading to Election Day, lines at BC tapered slightly. According to a BC student, voters only waited about twenty minutes to enter the building on the morning of Halloween.
“It was very simple and straightforward,” said Ashten Rodriguez, who was voting for the first time. “The poll workers and staff were really nice and attentive.”
The worker who handed out “I Voted” stickers stopped Rodriguez at the exit and asked if it was his first time voting. When Rodriguez answered yes, “He shouted, ‘We got a first time voter!’ and everyone cheered,” Rodriguez said.