NYC Election Live Updates: Voters Wait, Video Shows Intimidation

Last updated at 4:19 p.m.

It's Election Day in New York City. Follow along with our live updates:

Voters across New York City reported smooth sailing at the polls throughout Election Day.

Deborah Chusid rolled up to her 102nd Street polling location at 8:45 a.m. with her dog in tow.

“No lines, easy peasy,” she emailed Patch.

Patch reader Alan Schneider also got an early start to voting. He cast his ballot at PS 205 in Queens at 9 a.m.

“The lines were short and the Employees had everything under control,” he wrote Patch. “I was out in 15 minutes.”

There were also no lines at P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, reader Chris Schultz said.

"...It was empty," he emailed Patch. "Eight voters there including us!"

Maria Rodriguez, a Patch reader from Brooklyn, worried about troubles voting because she didn’t receive her voter identification card. She wrote down her relevant information and polls workers quickly checked her in and walked her through the process.

She “proudly” put an “I Voted” sticker on her jacket, she told Patch.

“It took me less than five minutes to do it all,” she said in an email.

***

A relatively-ordinary Election Day is unfolding amid the backdrop of an extraordinary year, one of New York City’s top cops said.

“A normal Election Day so far,” said Terence Monahan, NYPD’s chief of department.

Monahan led a trio of high-ranking NYPD officers for a 3 p.m. update on security as New Yorkers go to vote.

Juanita Holmes, the city’s newly-installed chief of patrol, said officers so far have seen an Election Day with “medium to light” turnout.

Monahan said a clash between Trump supporters and voters at a Park Slope polling site is a “closed case” barely worth mentioning.

“This was a dispute, it was handled,” he said.

Monahan said cops are prepared to handle potential large-scale looting by setting up “frozen zones” in Manhattan. But he said despite the boarded storefronts there appear to be no threats.

“We did not expect to see any repeat of what we saw at the end of May and into June,” he said.

***

Many New York City voters escaped long lines that plagued some polling locations.

One such voter was Patch reader Teri Graham, who shared her experience in an email. She wrote that “things went smoothly” as she dropped off her absentee ballot.

“In almost 40 years of voting in Jackson Heights, I can’t say that I’ve ever had a problem or long lines like other parts of the city,” she wrote. “I was going to do early voting but the long lines deterred me. There were long lines at the local library and I think that we need more sites for early voting but my polling place had a short line outside. There was a line monitor and social distancing. I started to walk into the school, she stopped me but saw I had an absentee ballot so she told me I could walk right in. I went in dropped off my ballot, picked up my I Voted sticker and left. I was back home in less than 15 minutes. I had originally planned to mail in my vote as I had done for the spring primaries but with all the chaos involved with mail, I didn’t trust it anymore. However I do hope that NYS makes absentee ballots available for every election, creates drop off boxes as NJ does and opens more locations for early voting to avoid ridiculously long lines.”

Patch readers who want to share their experiences can email matt.troutman@patch.com.

***

NYPD officers dismissed claims a Trump supporter intimidated voters at a Brooklyn polling location, but some witnesses didn’t buy it.

Cops responded to a “dispute” at 544 Seventh Ave., according to the NYPD’s official Twitter account on Tuesday.

That’s where a man standing next to a truck emblazoned with “Trump” flags was captured on videos flinging insults and threats at people.

“A vehicle supporting one candidate was reported to be within 100 feet of the location,” the NYPD tweet stated. “Upon investigation, the vehicle was an appropriate distance away. There was no interference with voting.“

Twitter users disputed the NYPD’s account, citing photos and videos from earlier.

“He was literally going up to voters to pick fights, there’s proof,” one tweeted. “Stop lying NYPD.”

***

Videos from poll workers in Brooklyn show what they called "voter intimidation" and threats of by Trump supporters.

"Hear this Trump supporter threatening physical violence," posted @KathyParkPrice. "He’s been here for 50 minutes. @nypd said they are aware of the threats and 'that is why we’re here.'"

Another poll worker posted a video showing who appeared to the same man calling people off-camera "p*****s." He can also be heard saying something about "law and order" and "antifa."

"That's right get out of my face," he told a man wearing a backpack.

NYPD officials have dispatched cops to 1,200 poll sites, but the move has stirred up uncertainty. City Council Member Brad Lander tweeted he reported the Brooklyn poll incident to Common Cause, a non-partisan voter group.

"I trust them more than the NYPD to protect the right to vote today," he tweeted.

***

Mayor Bill de Blasio reports Election Day in the city started with a few problems — a handful of poll sites opening late, some long lines — that the New York City Board of Elections needed to address. But the issues didn’t appear to be widespread as of late Tuesday morning, he said.

“Overall, it’s going well,” he said.

To be emailed results as they come in, sign up for Patch's news alerts.

***

After a massive 1.1 million New Yorkers turned out for early voting, long lines again wound outside polling stations on election day. Experts say it looking like a record turnout. Several stations reported having voters standing in wait long before they opened.

Election 2020: Here's How To Track Your NYC Absentee Ballot

Voting In New York City: Everything You Need To Know

See any shenanigans at the polls? Let us know.

This story is being constantly updated. Refresh for the latest news.