Sunny Skies Bring Out Voters, Campaigners, And A Dog On Election Day

Bensonhurst appears to have had a strong turnout at the polling booths this morning, thanks, in part, to sunny skies.

There were folks out campaigning for Assemblyman Peter Abbate and Democratic candidate James Kemmerer,  Congressman Michael Grimm and State Senator Marty Golden. A dog (and his owner) even trekked out from Windsor Terrace to lobby for the Democratic ticket.

“The turnout has been pretty brisk and the weather has a lot to do with it,” said Steven Depace, voting coordinator at P.S. 186 on 19th Avenue. “During the primaries only 20 to 30 people came out, but now we have more than double that — and it’s still the slow part of the day.”

Similarly, P.S. 205 on 20th Avenue saw a particularly strong turnout. By 10am, there was already a 175 percent increase in voters from the numbers the school saw during the primary elections, according to volunteer Elisha Petito.

Some folks were still confused by the new fangled voting machines, though they’ve been around for two years, and at Brooklyn Studio Secondary School on 21st Avenue, two machines had technical difficulties and were not up and running until 9am. Luckily the crowds were pretty thin at that location and people weren’t waiting too long to cast their vote, according to one volunteer.

Still haven’t made it out to the polls? Here’s everything you need to know to cast your vote.