Morning Headlines: Election Day Begins in New York and New Jersey, and What to Know at the Polls

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Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City, from WNYC. It's Tuesday, November 4th. Here's your morning headlines from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: It is election day, and polls are just opening right now in New York and New Jersey. WNYC's Brittany Kriegstein is at a polling site at Brooklyn Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn as they're unlocking the doors, and she joins us now. First of all, hi, Brit.

Brittany Kriegstein: Hi, Michael. Good morning.

Michael Hill: Good morning. It's early, we know. Polls, as we said, are opening right now. Anyone in line already?

Brittany Kriegstein: There's no line, but I can tell you that I've seen almost 10 people walk in so far now. The polls literally just opened. They're still taping those Vote Here signs to the little gate here by Brooklyn Borough Hall, but the lights are on and people are going in. Just to give you some context, Michael, when I've been here for past election, even the primary, there was almost nobody here at this hour, so it should be a pretty exciting day.

Michael Hill: Should be. We're looking forward to. We've had in New York City early voting and five times the number of early voters compared to four years ago. Brittany Kriegstein this morning is at Borough Hall in Brooklyn. Brittany, we'll check back in with you a little bit later on. Thank you so much.

Brittany Kriegstein: Sounds good, Michael. Talk to you soon.

Michael Hill: Yes. Polls close at 9:00 tonight in New York City. We'll be checking in with Brittany as we said, and then we'll have our live coverage starting tonight at eight o'clock right here on WNYC. Other news this morning, on Election Day, there are strict rules about what's allowed at poll sites where Brittany is right now. WNYC's Ben Feuerherd reports on what New Yorkers can expect.

Ben Feuerherd: Most voters will not be asked to show ID at the polls. Election experts say if you provided identification when you registered, you'll instead be identified using your signature. New Yorkers should expect to see a police officer at their polling place. Like everyone else at a polling site, they are not allowed to try to influence your vote by talking about a candidate carrying signs or wearing buttons and clothing for a specific candidate. To do any of those things, you need to be at least 100ft from the entrance to the poll site. You can report poll site issues to the city through 311.

Michael Hill: Coming up in just a short while at this hour, we'll have a conversation with NYC Votes. You can catch that right here on Morning Edition on WNYC in just a short while. Taking a look at your commute. Alternate side park is suspended on this Election Day, but we still must pay the parking meters. 49, actually 50, and mostly clear now, sunny and 58 today. In other words, great voting weather. Wind gusts though up to 33 miles an hour. Then tomorrow, partly sunny and 62. Still some strong winds. Once again, 50 and mostly clear. Get out and vote today.

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Janae Pierre: Stay close. There's more after the break.

Michael Hill: It's Election Day in New York City, and people already are out at the polls. Here with us to talk through some of the issues people can occasionally encounter when they go to vote is Timothy Hunter. He's with NYC Votes, a voter engagement initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Hi Tim, it's a busy time for you. Thanks for joining us.

Timothy Hunter: Yes, it is, and thank you so much for having me today.

Michael Hill: We have a lot of first-time voters. What should they expect when they go to the polls?

Timothy Hunter: All you have to do is go to the first person that you see there, that's a poll worker, and they will direct you once they look up your name with where you need to go, and they will give you your ballot directly, they'll ask you to sign. The only time you need to bring an ID is if you're a first-time voter. You do not need to bring an ID with you if you voted already.

Michael Hill: What are the most common issues that you hear about?

Timothy Hunter: The three biggest issues that we hear about as voters head to the polls today, of course, we hear a lot about language access. We hear that a lot of New Yorkers don't know their rights as a voter, and a lot of New Yorkers just don't know where to find information that's truthful and important before they head to the polls.

Michael Hill: Let's delve into some of those. What about rights? What do you mean there?

Timothy Hunter: A lot of New Yorkers are coming from different places. Whether it's formerly incarcerated individuals or immigrants that have become citizens and are now eligible to vote. It's important for you to know your rights as a voter before you head to the polls. You can find that on our website at nycvotes.org.You have the right to bring an interpreter with you to the polls. If you are not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, you can vote. Even people that are currently being held on Rikers Island have the right to vote. A lot of people don't know that. If you hit that time, if you're online and the poll site starts to close, as long as you're online before the polls officially close, you have a right to vote.

It's very important that you check out all these resources that we have available at nycvotes.org.

Michael Hill: We've been reporting that New York State Attorney General Letitia James' office is running an election hotline that people can call about any problems they encounter. What else should people do?

Timothy Hunter: The state Attorney General's office number is 866-390-2992. The election protection hotline, which is run by the League of Women Voters. And that's 866-687-8683. As we look at the current state of affairs nationally, we want to make sure that New Yorkers can see that there are resources that we have at our disposal if we are ever confronted with voter intimidation or any type of voter suppression.

Michael Hill: Suppose someone calls either one of those and they run into an issue where there's a rights issue, there's an access issue, there's some malfunction taking place there, how soon could they expect someone to do something about it?

Timothy Hunter: The beauty of these hotlines is that they are, in fact, hotlines. No matter what, someone's gonna be on the other end. If you're calling the Attorney General's office, that's usually to file a formal complaint. You can feel free to ask any election-related questions. These people are voting rights experts, and the election protection hotline is maybe a little bit better if you are seeing something and you're unsure if it's a big issue that needs to be reported. There's usually a lawyer or an attorney on the other line that can walk you through the best steps that you can take.

Michael Hill: Timothy Hunter is with NYC Votes, a voter engagement initiative of the NYC Campaign Finance Board. Tim, thanks for joining us.

Timothy Hunter: Thanks for having me, and don't forget, if you're in line, stay in line. Make sure you make your voice heard in this election.

Michael Hill: Polls in New York City are open until nine o'clock tonight. You can check out our voter guide on our news site, Gothamist, and stay with WNYC for all of our coverage of the elections.

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Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More soon.

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