Election Day voting is in full swing across the country and plenty of eyes will be on New York. From a contentious governor's race to a Hudson Valley congressional district that could determine the balance of power in Congress, the state's elections are filled with intrigue. WAMC's David Guistina broke down some Election Day storylines with New York Focus's Alex Arriaga. They began with reports of voting machine issues in Westchester County, which have been linked to errors reading the barcodes on ballots in 45 of 46 municipalities. The county is working to reprogram the machines.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Editor's note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
ARRIAGA: Yes, and it sounds like the protocol that they have in place to collect people's votes and put them into secure pouches is standard, and it has come up in other counties during early voting. And so, the county is just reassuring people that their vote will be counted and will be secure.
GUISTINA: OK, let's talk a little bit about what people can expect today. There's some important races here in New York. Why don't we start with the 17th [Congressional] District?
ARRIAGA: Yep. So that's one reason why people are paying close attention to what's happening at the polls in Westchester County. That is the county where the 17th Congressional District race is happening, and it's New York's, you know, only toss-up race, really. ... Westchester County comprises about 40% of the registered voters in that district, and so a lot of people are taking a look. I think, you know, because of this voting issues, I think there may be some people who create narratives around the security of the election here and might question the results. And so again, that's why election officials are just reassuring voters that their votes are secure and will count.
GUISTINA: Of course, the major race — the governor's race — is with the incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul facing off against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Polls [are] anywhere between nine and 14 points in favor of Hochul, but it's maybe closer than many people think.
ARRIAGA: Absolutely, and our politics reporter Nick Carver has been closely looking at the spending in that election. It's become expensive, and perhaps, like he writes, surprisingly competitive. And he's paying attention to that today to see, you know, what voters actually decide today.
GUISTINA: OK, so polls are open now. You know, how do people find out where to go? They need to be registered, of course; how do they find that out? There's a number of questions that you've been answering for potential voters.
ARRIAGA: Yep, polls have been open today since 6 a.m. They'll be open until 9 p.m. As long as you're in line, you can still cast your vote. And the [New York] state board of elections has a voter lookup portal for anyone to take a look at where to go and if they're registered.
GUISTINA: Finally, it's good for people to know that the state is the primary authority over elections, despite any influence from the federal government and concerns about things happening at the polls. These state leaders are — the states are — in control.
ARRIAGA: Yep, and that's what you know, voting experts and elections experts have been reassuring voters all over the country and in New York, despite some narratives and information around the security of the election and the possibility of federal presence. Elections are run at the state level, and so only county election authorities and state election authorities are administering elections. Their federal government does not have a role here.
GUISTINA: Yeah, the immigration issue, the crisis in this country, where many were worried that [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] would be entering the polls today in some spots. We got word that that is not a plan from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but at the same time, there's been a lot of fear among the immigrant community, and we wonder how that will impact the vote.
ARRIAGA: Absolutely, and ICE at polls is illegal, and elections experts are, you know, making sure to combat the misinformation and perhaps fear that, you know, one incident can cause, one report of an ICE agent at or near a polling place can have a rippling effect. And so, election officials and poll watchers are just trying to reassure everyone that voting is safe. There was a movement during early voting ... — from volunteers — to register voters, especially targeting immigrant communities, to try to reassure people that they have this right to have their voice heard, and they made it fun. You know, they put together a party bus, shared tamales, and went out, made four different stops on Long Island during early voting, and so, you know, it looks like turnout is high in New York, so hopefully people are reassured that they will be safe to vote.
