Amanda Mobley recently headed to The Forum in Harlem to cast her ballot in the 2024 election, expecting to wait in line.
“I came with a podcast because I thought there was gonna be a long line,” said the 38-year-old writer and actress. “So I was pleasantly surprised that it was streamlined.”
Mobley was one of several thousands of New Yorkers who flocked to poll sites over the first weekend of early voting ahead of the November 5th general election, taking the citywide turnout to a record 257,860 ballots on day two of early voting.
With just one more day of early voting available, more than 1 million early votes have been cast.
In the South Bronx and Harlem, two of the bluest areas in the city, voters were anxious to check voting off their to-do list in what polls are showing to be one of the tightest presidential races in recent history between current Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
“I have had so many headaches over this,” said Tasha Roman, a caterer in her mid-forties, outside of the St. Anselm School in the Bronx.
Like many voters, Roman feels the country is at an inflection point in its democratic lifespan.
“I don’t like the idea that there’s a candidate who doesn’t want there to be any more elections,” she said in reference to Trump.
At the Wadleigh High School in Harlem, democracy was also front-of-mind for Walter Keenan.
“Whether or not we continue to have the right to vote, whether you live in a country where we get to pick who our leaders are, that’s a really important issue,” he said.
The 32-year-old psychiatrist said he initially struggled to throw his support behind Harris due to her position on Gaza, comparing this election’s choice to a gory scene from the 2004 horror movie Saw where the main character could either cut off their arm or die.
Meanwhile outside the North Academic Building on the City College campus in Harlem, young voters like Laura Valdez, 23, spoke about trying to find their footing in the post-COVID economy.
“Right now with jobs, I’m kind of struggling to find something,” said Valdez, a recent graduate who is eager to help her family make ends meet. “Even with a degree, I’m trying to match the cost of living.”
Valdez said she was also saddened by what she thinks is rampant racism and anti-immigrant sentiment coming from Trump’s campaign.
“There’s so much lack of awareness,” she continued. “There’s so many supporters of Trump that it’s like a slap in the face, honestly.”
But even in the very Democrat-leaning Bronx, Republican messaging on the economy is echoing with some young voters, including 18-year-old Brailin Arias, who gave his first-ever vote to Trump.
For the most part, however, voters young and old spoke about what they see is the dire need to preserve democracy.
“Someday, I’ll be gone,” said Raymond Ortiz, a 75-year-old retiree as he cast his vote for Harris. “The ones that stay behind are the kids and your relatives, and I hope that for them, they have a brighter future.”
(Photo credit:Beatrice Vallieres)
About the author(s)
Deep Vakil is a Stabile Investigative Fellow at Columbia Journalism School, who previously covered global energy markets and companies for Reuters.
Beatrice Vallieres
Béatrice Vallières is an M.S. student at Columbia Journalism School focused on covering politics and the environment.