Streetsblog New York City

Turnout was much more promising than during the primaries, at least. I voted at the same time I did in the primary and the runoff and four times as many people had voted in my precinct than in either September race.

Unfortunately, that was still only 30 people in a precinct with 1,000 eligible voters.

I was voter number 26 at my precinct at 9:30.

From experience on GOTV campaigns, I think I recall about 20% of voters typically voting before that time of day – so perhaps 125 will vote in my ED today. Since (as Chris mentioned) each ED has about 1000 voters, that doesn’t bode too well for total turnout (I think in the September primary, my precinct was around the city average of 8% turnout).

If turnout is only doubling what it was in September, we could be looking at less than 20% of eligible voters casting ballots. I wonder how that will affect the races.

Putting leaflets on car windshields is illegal.

It was a lot quieter since the kids weren’t going to school today (wish all institutions/employers did the same).

But there were definitely more voters than the primaries. Maybe 2-3 times more.

They had a nice sample ballot for display so I could read the propositions before getting in there.

Sparse turnout in the 32nd, Upper West Side. I voted for JSK via Bloomberg. The term limits exemption irks me but the prospect of Thompson as mayor terrifies me. Let’s raise a glass to four more years of major pedestrian and bike improvements before the dark ages resume.

I live in this district and have not met anyone who isn’t in favor of permitted parking. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Car-owners seem largely aware that a garage costs six thousand bucks a year; $200 for protected, guaranteed on-street parking is a deal I can’t refuse.

Best voter profiles I’ve seen in newspapers (online) in a long time:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/02/nyregion/nyc-voter-voices.html?hp

It’s so refreshing to hear other people talk in a thoughtful way about issues that are not political soundbyte or rushed “man on the street” fly-bys of one sentence nonsense.

Transportation comes up quite a bit, especially in the outerboroughs, and it’s not about cars…

I didn’t get the number I was when I voted last night in Cobble Hill at about 8pm, but I asked the poll worker and she said turnout had been slow once again.