Sloppy Start on Election Day

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – Dozens of voters looking to cast their ballot Downtown Brooklyn were met with shut doors this morning at one of the boroughs most active voting sites.

Brooklyn resident Faiza Chowderman said she and her husband arrived to the closed polling site at Urban Assembly School of Law and Justice inside 283 Adams St. at 6:10 am. Chowderman said she met a crowd of people waiting in line minutes after the site was slated to open.

“People are annoyed, cold, and frustrated — Some people have even left and I’m not sure if they’re coming back,” she tweeted.

Chowderman said the polling site eventually opened around 6:40 am, almost an hour later than the time New York City voters are supposed to gain access to their polling sites.

New York City polls should open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

At least Chowderman could find her voting site. Some New Yorkers looking to find their polling site this morning hit a brick wall. New York State’s voter lookup site was down for 23 minutes between 6:00 a.m and 6:43 a.m this morning.

The New York State Board of Elections did not return multiple calls for comment.

This story is part of a journalism collaboration with ProPublica’s Electionland, a project that monitors voting problems across the country. If you had trouble voting, or if you saw something you want to tell us about, here’s how.

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