Pivotal Midterm Elections Spark Sharp Uptick In Voter Turnout

LONG ISLAND, NY — Tuesdays' midterm elections have sparked massive voter turnout, with some reporting long lines and traffic at the polls — and an increase in younger voters casting their ballots.

Election Day marks a critical moment in a politically divided nation, with the fate of Congress to be decided — and voters are heading to the voting booth to make their voices heard.

According to Suffolk County Board of Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota, attendance at the polls has been robust, indicative of an uptick, despite Tuesday's soggy skies.

"It's going great," he said. An 11 a.m. report, he added, indicated that countywide, turnout is greater than four years ago, "but not quite what it was two years ago." 2016 was the year of the last presidential election.

Four years ago, the 11 a.m. vote reflected a turnout of 10.4 percent.

In 2016, the 11 a.m. turnout was 27.4 percent.

And on Tuesday, for the pivotal midterm elections, the 11 a.m. numbers indicated a 19 percent turnout.

"Voters on both sides are passionate" about making their voices heard on the ballot, LaLota said, adding, though, that in Suffolk County, there had been no contentious issues and no lengthy wait times. "We had one mini parking issue, but all indications show that our 335 polling places here in Suffolk County are up and running smoothly," he said.

(Photo by Lisa Finn.)

Calls to the Nassau County Board of Elections Commissioner's Office were not immediately returned. But acording to Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee, "Voter turnout is way up compared to 2014, the last midterm election."

As of 1 p.m. Jacobs said, the numbers coming in reflected districts "running at 75 to 85 percent of the total number" of voters in 2014. "My guess is we're going to have a significantly large turnout," he said.

At a Southold Town Recreation Center in Peconic, poll workers said there had been a noticeable increase in voters— especially among younger people, with at least one young person voting for the first time.

John Powers Tweeted: "Been voting in my present district since '04 and have never encountered a line. CD1 Suffolk County, NY."

And, in Melville, Meg Flannagan also reported a crowd. "Traffic was backed up and down Old Country Road around the Presbyterian Church of Sweet Hollow. Police were called, but have not come to help with traffic. Polling staff report higher numbers for this election than the Presidential Election in 2016," she said.

Patch photo courtesy Meg Flannagan.