Thanks to that messy Sandy who showed up last Sunday and caused havoc across the tristate area, many 
polling places will be closed on election day, Tuesday Nov. 6.
All of the voting locations will be moved to other addresses, but getting the word out will be the challenge.
And it’s anyone’s guess if two days will be sufficient to let all voters know that they can no longer vote where they always have.
For example, three polling stations in Manhattan have been closed and moved to other locations. Altogether 60 polling stations have been changed, with 3 more in the Bronx, 24 in Brooklyn, 28 in Queens, and 2 in Staten Island.
Outside of New York City, polling locations have also been changed in Rockland, Orange, Suffolk and Sullivan Counties.
That by itself, will be enough to cause confusion, anger, and lost votes for mostly Barack Obama because New York and New Jersey, the hardest hit states, are predominantly Democratic.
With the election being called at almost a 50/ 50 split, depending on which pollster you speak to –some are saying Obama will get 47 to Romney’s 43, those problems are sure to lead to calls for a recount later, or delays in the count itself.
This result was predicted already by astrologists who said that as of November 6, the planet that governs thought and decision making will be be moving backwards.
So predicted astrologist Susan Miller who writes from New York City. who compared the celestial situation to the one that occurred in the Bush-Gore election in 2000, when there were hanging chads and calls for recounts in Florida–for some, the election that was “stolen” by George Bush.
But she said this one will be worse.
But whether you believe in astrology or not, all practical signs are pointing to that being a certainty. In addition to the chaos and confusion following Hurricane Sandy, there are many places in New Jersey, New York, and even Connecticut that do not have power, or have simply been leveled or too damaged to open.
Then there is the recent court case of Republican organizers who were caught and are now being tried for destroying Democratic voter registrations. Will those registrations have to be recovered?
Finally, and this is just tip of the iceberg: new changes in absentee voting have made it now possible to pass up your absentee ballot and come to the poll instead–a move that was not legal in previous elections. That surely is bound to cause some confusion as well as possible claims of double counting.
And since Sandy showed up, some voters are being urged to vote by absentee ballot from the locations that they are currently staying–basically as refugees. Many of those people are far from their homes–including CI.
Voters will be allowed to email their local voting office, print out the ballot and send it out. That also will delay the vote count, particularly in the Democratic states. Absentee ballots need to be mailed by Monday, November 5.
Below is a list of the polling locations that have been moved as provided by Senator Liz Krueger. Additional poll workers will also be needed (see below). Workers will be paid $200 a day.
NYC Poll Site Changes:
You can call 311 to find out if your poll site has changed, or check the full list of changes here: http://www.elections.ny.gov/CountyBOEStormInfo.html
From the State Board of Elections
The State Board has established a space on the front page of the NYS Board of Elections website for Hurricane Sandy News.
Hurricane Sandy News
Continue to visit this page for important communications due to Hurricane Sandy.
Absentee Ballot Application Deadline
All absentee ballot applications must be made in person at your county board of elections by Monday, November 5th.
Extension of Absentee Ballot Receipt Deadline
The State Board of Elections has approved an extension of the deadline for absentee ballots to be received and counted from 7 days after Election Day to 13 days after Election Day. Ballots must still be postmarked no later than Monday, November 5th, however they now have until November 19th to arrive at the local Board of Elections.
New York City Information
For the latest information concerning the Board of Elections in the City of New York please follow this link:
http://vote.nyc.ny.us/html/temp_hours/temp_hours.shtml
Known Extended Hours for Absentee Ballot Pickup
New York City, Nassau and Suffolk County Emergency Hours and Contact Information.
Poll Site Changes due to Hurricane Sandy
County Board of Elections Poll Site Changes due to Hurricane Sandy.
November 3, 2012 12:30 PM Update:
Richmond County (Staten Island) Emergency Absentee Ballot
- Phone number 718-876-0079
- Richmond County Office for in-person absentee ballot pickup –
- 1 Edgewater Plaza, 4th Floor,
- Staten Island, NY 10305
- Mailing Address to Mail absentee ballot applications – same as above
- Office Hours: Friday 9:00am-6:00pm
- Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm
- Sunday 9:00am-6:00pm
- Monday 9:00am-5:00pm
Manhattan Emergency Absentee Ballot
Phone number 212-465-0503
- Manhattan Office to Pick Up Ballots – 450 West 33rd Street 10th Floor
- Mailing Address to mail absentee ballot applications – 200 Varick Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10014
- Office Hours: Friday 9:00am-8:00pm
- Saturday 9:00am-8:00pm
- Sunday 9:00am-8:00pm
- Monday 9:00am-5:00pm
Bronx (Phone 718-299-9017)
- Bronx County Office for in-person absentee ballot pickup – 1780 Grand Concourse, 5th Floor, Concourse Level, Bronx, NY 10457
- Mailing address to mail absentee ballot applications – same as above
- Office Hours: Friday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Saturday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Sunday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Monday 9:00am-5:00pm
Queens
- Phone 718-730-6730
- Queens County Office to pick up absentee ballots – 126-06 Queens Boulevard, 4th Floor, Kew Gardens, NY 11415
- Mailing address to mail absentee ballot applications – same as above
- Office Hours: Friday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Saturday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Sunday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Monday 9:00am-5:00pm
Kings (Brooklyn)
- Phone 718-797-8800
- Kings County Office to pick up absentee ballots – 345 Adams Street, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- Mailing address to mail absentee ballot applications – same as above
- Office Hours: Friday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Saturday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Sunday 9:00am-9:00pm
- Monday 9:00am-5:00pm
Nassau County
- To pick up absentee ballots –
- 240 Old Country Road 5th Floor Mineola, NY 11501
- Mailing address to mail absentee ballot applications – same as above
- Phone# 516-571-2411
- Office Hours: Friday 7:00am-10:00pm
- Saturday 7:00am-10:00pm
- Sunday 7:00am-10:00pm
- Monday 7:00am-10:00pm
Suffolk County
- To pick up absentee ballots – 700 Yaphank Ave. Yaphank, NY 11980
- Mailing address to mail absentee ballot applications – same as above
- Phone number 631-852-4500
- OFFICE HOURS: Friday: 9:00am – 9:00pm
- Saturday: 9:0am – 9:00pm
- Sunday 9:00am – 5:00pm
- Monday: 9:00am – 7:00 PM
Additional Pollworkers Needed
In the wake of the storm, the Board of Elections may need additional poll-workers to help keep things running smoothly on Tuesday.
If someone is interested, the only requirements to be a poll worker are that you be permanent U.S. resident, a New York City resident, 18 years of age, and that you complete a short training. Poll workers
will need to be at their assigned post starting at 5 am on Tuesday until after the polls close at 9 pm. In some locations, that could be up until 11p. Workers will be paid $200 and will vote by special ballot.
They have set up trainings tomorrow. Each training is an hour and a half to two hours. Please let us know which training you would like to attend by 9p tonight, although even if you can’t do that, if you show up for a training, you can still work. There will be trainings at 3:30pm and 5:30pm today. The trainings will be located at the Manhattan office for the Board of Elections at 450 West 33rd Street, 8th Floor.
If you want to be a poll-worker, you should go to this website, fill out an application and bring it to one of the trainings. If not, the Board will have applications available at the trainings. The website also contains more information.
http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/html/workers/positions.shtml
