Lengthy lines linger during early voting on Long Island Monday

With the demand high, Suffolk's Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota said it would not be possible to add more early voting locations this week.

News 12 Staff

Oct 27, 2020, 2:00 AM

Updated 1,274 days ago

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Early voting continued on Long Island Monday, with more than 80,000 people  casting their ballots so far.
Hundreds of people began to line up at a polling station at the Dix Hills Fire Department at 7:15 a.m. The line of voters there was about a quarter-mile long with a wait time of about two hours. The fire department says voters from other locations are calling them to ask if the wait time was minimal.
Voters told News 12 Long Island that they saw the long lines for early voting over the weekend and decided to cast their ballots during the week. They also cited concerns that lines may be too long on Election Day as a reason to vote early.
At Levittown Hall in Hicksville, the lines were consistent all day, with waits as long 70 minutes. Not all were lengthy, with a polling place in New Cassel only having about a five minute wait at one point.
With the demand high, Suffolk's Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota said it would not be possible to add more early voting locations this week.
"Realistically it's not a possibility here in Suffolk County because of resources and logistics," says LaLota. "One of the most difficult things about early voting is finding a location that will give us a building, gymnasium or auditorium that will give us a location for nine consecutive days."
LaLota did say he expects the lines to lessen in the coming days.
There are 27 total polling stations on Long Island for early voting -- with 15 in Suffolk County and 12 in Nassau County. On Election Day, there will be more than 680 voting sites open across the Island.
Residents are reminded that if they vote before Election Day, they can go to any polling station. Those who vote on Election Day have to go to their designated polling station.
In Nassau, early voting hours for the remainder of the week are:
- Monday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Wednesday: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Friday: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In Suffolk, early voting hours are:
- Monday: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Tuesday: Noon to 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Thursday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Friday: Noon to 8 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.


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