TOMPKINS COUNTY, NY (WSKG) – Early voting in New York began on Saturday. In Tompkins County there are two early voting locations.
The weather was cold and gray. It didn’t stop people from lining up around a large block in downtown Ithaca.
Near the front of the line, Emily Hopkins was enthusiastic about voting in person.
“I couldn’t wait another second,” Hopkins laughed. Some near her laughed and nodded, too. “I wanted to vote as early as possible. I wanted my vote to be counted right away not after the Election Day.”
Also in line was Laura Free, a college professor. Her reason for voting in person instead of by absentee ballot had nothing with concerns about the mail.
“I wanted the physical experience,” she said. “I wanted to see my ballot go into the machine and get counted.” She said she’ll be teaching all day on Election Day.
Several people in line said they were voting in person because they wanted to make sure their ballot got counted on Election Day.
Isabel Pedilla, Tyler Cross and Laura Hopkins (Left-Right) waited in line to vote on the first day of early voting in Ithaca, NY. (Celia Clarke/WSKG)
Lara Harvey wore a face mask that read, ‘VOTE’. She said she decided to vote in person after working on a campaign during the primaries.
“I felt like there were a good amount of issues with mail-in voting and I just wanted to make sure my vote was counted,” Harvey said.
Tyler Cross considered the risk of COVID-19 before deciding to wait in line to vote.
“I feel like everyone’s taking the proper precautions right now, in line,” he said. “So, I feel pretty safe.”
Everyone in line was wearing a face mask and spaced at least six feet apart.
Early voting ends on Sunday.
Absentee ballots must be postmarked or delivered in person to your county board of elections by Election Day.