Photo by David Greene
Ahead of Election Day 2020 on Nov. 3., long lines of patient voters, some with kids in toe and pushing baby strollers, were seen at a number of voting centers across the Bronx during the first few days of early voting in New York State, which kicked off on Saturday, Oct. 24.
On Sunday morning, Oct. 25, the wait time to vote at a temporary Parkchester polling center, a former Boltons store, located at 1380 Parkchester Road, was about two and a half hours, while the outside temperature was in the low fifties.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined about one hundred others waiting in line in her home district in voting early and encouraging others to do the same despite the long lines. Norwood News noticed that the lines on Parkchester Road appeared to be longer on Sunday than they had been the previous day at the same location.
Photo by David Greene
We spoke with a woman on Parkchester Road, a wheelchair user, who said she had waited just five minutes in line but for others, the average wait time was about two and a half hours.
Meanwhile, the congresswoman spoke to reporters about the long lines, saying, “In the United States of America, where a two, three, four-hour wait is acceptable, just because it’s happening in a blue state doesn’t mean that it’s not voter suppression.”
She said if such long wait times were evident in swing states, it would get national media coverage. “So, I don’t want us to think that just because it’s a blue state, that it isn’t a problem,” she said. “There’s a lot that needs to be done, but at the same time, I’m thrilled to see how many, who are overcoming this injustice, [are] waiting in lines anyway, bringing communities supplies, snacks [and] lawn chairs.”
Photo by David Greene
The congresswoman added that the community would overcome this hurdle and elect people who will make sure that it will not be a problem in the future.
Asked by a reporter if she was suggesting that voter suppression was happening in New York City intentionally, she said, “Listen, voter suppression could be intentional or unintentional. I think that, at the end of the day, if the line to your polling place is so long and you don’t vote – that is a form of disenfranchisement. So, whether it’s intentional or unintentional, to me that is less [of] a concern.”
Last week, as reported by Norwood News, a virtual discussion was held by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and other elected officials and community activists on the subject of voter suppression. They called for the abolition of the cost of mailing back absentee ballots, which they view as another form of voter suppression, since many people are struggling to come up with the cost of postage.
Photo by David Greene
She added, “Again, we’ve got so many people that are here to vote. This is our first federal election, a general election, [where] we have early voting, and frankly, we fought to get an extra early voting place [center] and frankly, this also shows the success of early voting as well. This is the first time we ever saw lines this long for early voting, so you know what? I’m extremely excited about that. We’re going to make sure that this is a smoother process.”
She then asked the crowd why it was worth two to three hours to wait to vote, to which one resident shouted out, “To make a change!” The congresswoman responded, “That’s right! To make a change and what is important to me is I want my vote counted the night that the polls close, and the way that we do that is by showing up in person.”
Photo by David Greene
The congresswoman added, “You know, if you can’t show up in person, you don’t want to show up in person, mail in the ballot. You can do it if you haven’t mailed it in yet. You can show up at the local Board of Election’s [office] and hand it in [in] person to make sure it’s delivered.” She then repeated that she wanted to make sure her vote would be tallied the night that the polls close, and that she was going to wait two hours just like her neighbors to make sure that that happened. “It is a privilege and honor to do so,” she said.
In reference to her own general election race to retain her congressional seat, which is happening concurrently with the presidential election, she said, “It never gets old to see thousands of community members have signed petitions with your name on that ballot, and it’s just a privilege every single time.” She added, “I think that voting is a celebration. It’s a joyful event. I can’t wait until Election Day is a federal holiday so people don’t have to take off work or anything like that. I can’t wait for us to expand mail-in voting so it happens every election, not just during a pandemic. I can’t wait for us to expand early voting because it’s just a tremendous honor.”
Looks like an increasingly powerful electorate to me! 🤗 https://t.co/QkEQ5TsAc4
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 24, 2020
She was then asked by another reporter what was the state of the progressive movement given the presidential nominee was more of a centrist liberal. “I actually believe that right now the progressive movement is stronger than ever and I’m extremely excited,” she said.
“The discipline, the strength that the progressive movement has built – I think that there’s an extraordinary amount of focus on our agenda, our mission to make sure that we guarantee healthcare for every American in this country without going bankrupt, to make sure that we lobby, pressure and advocate for the strongest climate agenda that we have in American history, to make sure that people have good wages and decent jobs and so, I believe that we are very well poised and influential, not just in this election, but, knock on wood, [in] the coming administration.”
Photo by David Greene
Another reporter asked Ocasio-Cortez if she had to pinch herself two years after running as someone who didn’t have a chance in the primary race [against former Congressman Joseph Crowley]. “Oh, absolutely!” she said. “It’s surreal every single time. I believe that ultimately the seat does not belong to me. The seat belongs to our community and to make that case every year is a tremendous honor and I absolutely pinch myself.”
She then said that she was proudly voting for the Biden-Harris ticket on the Working Family Party line, which she said accomplishes many priorities the progressive movement has, not just in the country, but in the State of New York. “We’re able to preserve and expand the Working Families Party so that they can continue to support progressive candidates, including insurgents to hold the Democratic Party accountable, and we can make sure we’re voting out Trump and not throwing away our presidential vote,” she said.
Early voting starts TODAY 🙌🏽 I am SO super proud to see the looong lines to #govote! I spent the morning thanking voters for coming out 🥳 #VoteEarlyDay pic.twitter.com/H0v3Jn3cv6
— Nathalia Fernandez (@Fernandez4NY) October 24, 2020
She finished saying the president alluded to the fact that he wishes to obstruct with fake illusions around [voting and] the election. “I want folks to be very, very clear that we are counting every vote.” she said. “We will count every mailed-in ballot.”
The congresswoman later headed to Pelham Parkway for another community event to meet and greet with voters at Bronx Park, before tweeting to her 9.3 million followers, confirmation that she, herself, had voted.
Photo by Miriam Quinoñes
On Friday, Oct. 23, the congresswoman had retweeted the results of a Tufts University study which showed that registered voters in battleground states in the 18 to 29-year-old age group had increased substantially since 2016, saying, “Looks like an increasingly powerful electorate to me.”
The same day, she also held a virtual “fireside fire drill” event together with actress and climate activist, Jane Fonda, to discuss environmental policy.
Photo by Miriam Quinoñes
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Columbus High School on Astor Avenue in the Allerton section of the borough, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, was one of a line of voters also casting their ballots early.
“Early voting starts TODAY,” Fernandez wrote in a tweet to her constituents. “I am SO super proud to see the looong lines to #govote! I spent the morning thanking voters for coming out. #VoteEarlyDay”
Photo by David Greene
Earlier that morning, the assemblywoman co-hosted a Baby Needs Essential Drive at Mazzei Playground, on the corner of Mace Avenue and Williamsbridge Road in Allerton, where essentials for expectant, new moms and babies were handed out, along with food boxes, masks and sanitizers.
The line at the Allerton voting center went all around the school, with some people also carrying chairs to sit on as the line moved slowly along. Some residents told the Norwood News they had been in line at the center since 7.30 a.m. to get an early start.
In contrast, on Monday morning, Oct. 26, there were no lines at Monroe College voting center on Jerome Avenue in the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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