NY Election Was Fair, Accurate, Most Say In Patch Survey

LONG ISLAND, NY — The majority of people in a non-scientific poll conducted by Patch felt voting in New York during the Nov. 3 election was safe, fair and accurate. But there was still a sizable portion that did not have faith in the election.

The survey was posted on Patch in a questionnaire form on Wednesday. Just over 2,000 people responded. It is not meant to be a scientific poll, but to show how readers felt about the election.

Confidence In Results

More than 55 percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat agreed that the election in New York was fair and accurate. However, 37.5 percent strongly or somewhat disagreed with that notion. There were 7.3 percent of people who were neutral.

Fewer people, however, felt the election through the whole country was fair. Nearly half of people thought the national election was not fair and accurate.

How People Voted

The vast majority of New Yorkers polled voted in person, either early or on Election Day. More than 80 percent of respondents cast their votes in person. The rest voted absentee, either by mail or by dropping their ballot off at a certified collection location.

The overwhelming majority of those who voted in person said the experience went well. If there were any problems that voters saw, they were minor and didn't affect their experience too much.

Nearly all of those who voted absentee received their ballots after requesting one. The main problem absentee voters seemed to have was not getting any notification that their ballots had been received.

Thoughts On Voting By Mail

About half of respondents that they don't think voting by mail is safe. And 44 percent said that it is.

New Yorkers also seem to be split on whether it should be easier to vote by mail in future elections.

Reader Comments

Here's what some people had to say about their voting experience, both good and bad:

• "I am a Poll Inspector and the process in Westchester County worked well. Few glitches in my polling place and those few problems were resolved quickly. I dropped my ballot at the BOE and, while online tracking was not available, a call to the BOE confirmed it was accepted."
• "Voting site understaffed. As a registered voter in Southampton, signed in, but was never asked for personal ID or photo ID. Also, got notice a week later that on Oct. 28, the day I voted in person, six volunteers were positive with COVID-19. Had to go to doctor to get tested. Thank God it was negative."
• "I was shocked at the negative response to more easily accessible voting I heard from some people. Due to both mobility issues and concerns about COVID, my elderly mother and I could not have voted if we couldn't mail in our ballots. I dropped mine in the mailbox outside an actual post office and confirmed it was received several days later — I felt confident that it was 100 percent fair and safe. Seeing comments on social media from across the US along the lines of: people who are afraid of the virus or too "lazy" to walk into a polling place don't deserve to vote, and that all mailed-in votes are fraud, makes me feel sick. I am grateful that in NYS voters had options."
• "I tried to vote early several times at several different locations. There were always long, long lines. I decided to wait to Election Day and there were two people in front of me."
• "I struggled with the lack of social distancing on line, enforcement of it and then once inside all rules were out the window. Six people to a table leaning over one another, unfamiliar with technology and with tasks that seemed unnecessary. One person in charge of hand sanitizer for the ONE stylus pen being used for everyone, one person tearing the ballot off a pad. There has to be a more efficient way to do this! And more training for those folks who volunteered to be part of the process!"
• "I think voting by mail in future elections is a good idea as long as you can track your ballot and it is received prior to or on Election Day."
• "The line was four hours long at my polling site on the upper west side of Manhattan. This was due to the huge turnout which was very heartening. There was a lot of friendliness and good nature in the line. People held space in line for each other to find bathrooms, and offered their portable seats to the elderly. There was a lot of social distancing and ample room inside the polling site but due to social distancing, only small groups of people were allowed into a school gymnasium at one time. My voter card was scanned and my signature was checked. There were pens given out for the voter to keep. It was bi-partisan with both dems and repubs as poll watchers. I was very satisfied and got the first good nights sleep in many many months. I will never forget it!"