Big Election Means Big Turnout at Local Polling Places

Despite the storms, the long lines at the gas stations and days without power, residents showed up at the polls in droves to cast their votes.

Some saw the long lines and were reminded of their week-long ordeal at the pumps.

"The line was so long, I thought I accidentally got on the gas line," joked Mary Pullis.

No doubt the Presidential election is the big draw but there is a full ballot to decide from including senatorial and congressional races along with the state contests for Senate and Assembly that have also brought out voters. If that wasn’t enough for one election cycle, the Brookhaven Town Supervisor position is up for grabs since former Supervisor Mark Lesko announced he was stepping down this summer.

Lots of big races means a big turnout, if evidenced by what polling place workers have seen so far.

In the afternoon, lines in Mt. Sinai High School where residents of Mt. Sinai and some of Port Jefferson came to vote wrapped around the gym as people waited in line for over an hour in some cases to cast their vote.

Others had to make a decison between gas and voting. Like Dominic Bourne who said he was not able to vote.

"Have no gas," he said.

For John Feinberg there wasn't a choice at all. This is a special election for him.

"I found gas last night at 12:30 a.m. at Mobil in Mt. Sinai," Feinberg wrote on Facebook. "Plus this is my first time I can vote."

Port Jefferson resident Lauren Hubbard was lucky. She said that she would have no problems with deciding between gas and voting.

"I walked to my polling place," she said.

At Comsewogue High School, the chairperson for district 258 said that turnout has been very good all day. Amid the lull between dinner and the people arriving to vote after work, the hallway was bare she expected that to change.

That morning, people started showing up at 5:40 a.m. to vote, a full 20 minutes before the 6 a.m. opening.

“I had to push people back who were waiting to vote,” she said.

As of 5:30 p.m. more than 700 people had cast their vote at the Comsewogue polling place.

Voting will be open until 9 p.m. on Tuesday.