This UWS Early Voting Site Is The 2nd-Most Overloaded In NYC

UPPER WEST SIDE, 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 to the capacity of each site.

The second-most overloaded site in all of New York is West Side High School on West 102nd Street, where a staggering 112,795 voters have been assigned, according to the analysis, which was first reported by Gothamist.

Indeed, voters for days have reported interminable lines at the school, in some cases lasting longer than four hours.

Voting is so bad on the Upper West Side (102nd St) that people got in line at 730AM. Polls open at noon! @NYGovCuomo @NYCMayor @galeabrewer @MarkLevineNYC @HelenRosenthal @BOENYC @westsiderag pic.twitter.com/vsLXIw7ABr
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) October 27, 2020

First day of early voting in NYC. Line at West 102nd street, doubles multiple blocks. pic.twitter.com/e3y81kUQOh
— Ansley Roan (@AnsleyRoan) October 24, 2020

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 New York are:

• Robert Wagner Middle School, 220 East 76th Street: 118,753 assigned registered voters
• West Side High School, 140 West 102nd Street: 112,795 assigned voters
• Madison Square Garden Lobby, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza: 110,847 assigned voters
• Council Center for Senior Citizens, 1001 Quentin Road (Brooklyn): 100,535 assigned voters
• Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Boulevard (Queens): 98,012 assigned voters

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.

Find your early voting poll site on the Board of Elections website.

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