Voters in Crown Heights Came in Steady Numbers

Voters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, came steadily throughout the day to cast their ballots in the New York City elections on Tuesday, even as poll numbers predicted, correctly, sweeping victories for Democratic mayoral-nominee Bill de Blasio, and challenger Kenneth Thompson for District Attorney of Kings County.

“A large amount of people have been coming through the whole day,” said poll worker Joan Sweet, as she manned a table at the St. Mark’s polling station on the corner of President Street and Brooklyn Avenue. “There hasn’t really been a lull all day. I’ve specifically noticed a lot of people from Carroll Street!”

After a primary election in September and a little-noticed runoff election for Public Advocate in October which utilized the old 1960s-era lever voting machines, the newer optical ballot scanning machines were back in use.

Exiting the voting location at PS-91 on Albany Avenue, a Jewish voter who declined to be identified said that he did not care for whom he voted for mayor “as long as I didn’t vote for de Blasio.”

His vote for District Attorney was also more out of protest than out of support for his chosen candidate.

A moment later he was followed out by a middle-aged man, M.S., who said that he chose not to vote for anyone for mayor. He did, however, vote for Ken Thompson in the DA race, based on his dissatisfaction with a controversial case involving a Crown Heights Shmira member.

M.S. also added emphatically that he voted no on Proposition 1, which would allow up to seven casinos to open in New York State, and drew strongly worded opposition from Rabbanim from across the spectrum of Orthodoxy. Proposition 1 was approved by voters on Tuesday.

Back at the St. Marks location, Mrs. L. was walking hurriedly up the ramp, on her way to pick up her children from school.

“I voted for Bill de Blasio,” said Mrs. L., who added that she voted for Bill Thompson during the primaries. “A lot of prominent people have backed him.”

But Mrs. L. did not vote down the Democratic Party line, saying that she voted to reelect Charles Hynes because of how much safer she has felt in Crown Heights during the 24 years that he’s been in power.

“I don’t want the riots to happen again. I think a strong District Attorney has a large part in avoiding that.”

But as exit polls revealed what poll numbers had predicted for months, that de Blasio would be elected with a massive margin, Malka Groden decided to cast her vote for Republican Joe Lhota anyway.

“I voted in opposition,” Mrs. Groden said. “I’m not excited about Lhota, and I don’t think he’s going to win, but I want to exercise my right to vote. A strong and vocal minority is the sign of a healthy democracy.”

This article appeared in print on page 20 of the November 7th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.