These Are The Most Overloaded Early Voting Sites In Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, NY — Since early voting began on Saturday, New Yorkers have been stunned by the long lines at polling sites around the city — and puzzled why some sites seemed much more crowded than others.

A new report by the city's Campaign Finance Board explains why: the number of voters assigned to each early voting site varies enormously and seemingly without regard for the capacity of each site.

Among the most overloaded sites in all of New York City are several in Brooklyn, including a Homecrest senior center with a staggering 100,535 assigned voters and the Brooklyn Museum, where lines have wrapped around the building all week.

The number of assigned voters — which also reach 70,000 in Brooklyn at a church, recreation center and another senior center — soar above the numbers for some, much larger locations, according to the analysis, which was first reported by Gothamist..

At the Barclays Center, which was opened as the largest polling site in the borough, only 32,000 voters are required to cast early ballots. The line only lasted five minutes at the massive venue on Monday, one voter told Patch.

Lines have taken as long as four hours at other sites, including the Brooklyn Museum, according to reports. The mayor himself waited about three hours to vote at the Park Slope Armory YMCA, where more than 61,000 voters are assigned.

The Board of Elections has come under harsh scrutiny this week for the long waits, and for setting up only 88 early voting sites compared to 1,201 on Election Day Nov. 3.

Mayor Bill de Blasio blamed the lines on incompetence by the Board, while Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called them a form of voter suppression, since they could deter people from casting their votes.

According to the CFB analysis, the five most overloaded polling sites in Brooklyn are:

• Council Center for Senior Citizens, 1001 Quentin Rd: 100,535 assigned voters
• Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway: 84,692 assigned voters
• Brooklyn College, West Quad, 2946 Bedford Ave.: 77,820 assigned voters
• Vandalia Center, 47 Vandalia Ave.: 75,773 assigned voters
• God's Battalion Church, 661 Linden Blvd: 74,447 assigned voters

The Brooklyn sites fall in the top 20 overloaded sites in New York City. The site with the most assigned voters across the five boroughs is found in the Upper East Side.

The least-crowded site, by contrast, is the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in Greenwich Village, where only 8,317 voters are assigned.

A spokesperson for the Board did not respond to questions about how the assignments were made.

Responding to public pressure, the Board of Elections on Tuesday announced extended hours from Friday through Sunday at early voting sites around the city.

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.