Like you, I have been waiting for this moment for 4 years.
I have never seen voting lines like this, not in 20 years, not in sleepy East Hampton after the summer crowds are long gone. Newsday and the Press were there to document the lines with photos and interviews of voters.
I got in line for early voting at Windmill Village in East Hampton. Polls were open from 10 AM to 3 PM. At 10:30 AM the line snaked around the neighborhood. I heard from a poll official that there were 260 voters in line. They were processing about 1 voter/min by my estimate based on how often a voter entered the actual polling station.
I was expecting a 4 h wait. But it turned out to be just about 3 hours. My friends Nigel and Jane got in line at 9 AM and voted at 11 AM: about 2 hours.
These kind of waiting periods are exhausting for elderly folks. They were for me.
Here is what you can do:
- 1. you can drop off you mail-in ballot and to do so you can go right to the front of the line and be directed to the correct person in the polling stations. The problem is that your ballot won’t be counted until after Nov 3rd along with all other mail-in ballots
- 2. if you are in any way disabled you can go to the front of the line. At Windmill Village they have a side entrance (on the right when you are facing the main entrance). I inquired for a family member who is seriously handicapped and she and her husband can use the side entrance thus avoiding the long line.
- 3. For the rest of us I suggest choosing carefully when you want to try to vote early. As per a prior post here are the choices:
I am thinking that Monday 7 AM might be a safe bet?
Finally, a word about safety.
Every one I encountered was wearing a mask and observing social distancing. Poll workers and voters were disinfecting their hands and the equipment between every voter!
The people in line were courteous and kept each other in a good mood. There were no attempts to threaten or bully voters. The police was stationed at the entrance to the Windmill Village complex to direct cars to park outside the village. They were helpful and friendly. They allowed cars transporting disabled voters to enter and drop them off close to the polling station. My friend Jerry (acting as a Dem poll watcher) confirmed my impression: no shenanigans and no voter intimidation, such as touted by the likes of the ‘Proud Boys’ and encouraged by the President and his sycophants.
I guess we had short lines compared to some polling stations in NY City: