Steady Voter Turnout, Few Machine Issues in Smithtown

Polling coordinators at local polling sites reported a day with minimal issues and steady traffic.

Barbara Rowland, coordinator at the site, said "All I keep hearing from voters was 'that wasn't so bad,' after they used the new voting machines. I think the anticipation built up made people think it was more difficult."

Rowland, who has been a polling inspector for more than 30 years, said that 141 residents had voted at the site as of 2 p.m., which she said is a "good number" for the size of the voting base instructed to vote there.

But some residents said they missed the old form of voting.

"I miss the levers. I see a lot of room for abuse and corruption in these," said Tom Welsh, a lifelong Smithtown resident and voter at the  voting location. "I received a mailer that said to fill in the square or box underneath your candidates name as opposed to here, which is above your candidate's name."

Eva Normandin was the polling coordinator at that site.

"They don't like change, people don't like change, but things have been going well," she said. "We have had no breakdowns and people have ultimately, with a little instruction, been able to cope.We do have people in here showing people what to do, in both filling out with a pad and pen and showing them how to put the vote into the machine."

Over at the voting location, polling coordinator Bob Hansen also reported minimal machine issues and decent turnout.

"The new machines have their good points and bad points, but it all averages out," he said. "We have not had big problems."

Hansen, who has been a polling coordinator for 10 years,  said they had a few lines during periods of the day, but not many, and that people were definitely coming out to vote.

Residents at the polls also discussed issues that matter to them.

"Everybody that's in office now, get rid of every single one of them, regardless of party lines," Welsh said. "These guys are getting paid beaucoup bucks, they work less than teachers and they aren't doing anything for us. They are just scratching each other's backs, they aren't looking out for the people, they're looking out for their own careers."

Diane DiSalvo, a 15-year Smithtown resident, said taxes were her main concern.

"I think the most important thing for a lot of families right now are the taxes," she said. "We don't our taxes to be raised, we live in a town that already has high enough taxes, we pay enough taxes and no one wants to see that go up."

Heidi Kamvakis is an 11-year Smithtown resident and teacher in a Nassau County high school.

"I definitely say taxes but unfortunately my two things conflict because I'm about taxes and education," she said. "You don't want your taxes to go up but you want to be for education."

Stay tuned to Smithtown Patch all night tonight for live election coverage of all the local races.