The whole city is in the democracy spirit. Photo by kennethcoleprd on Instagram.

HAPPY ELECTION DAY!! If you have not yet heard the news, Governor Cuomo (POTUS 2016??) signed an executive order last night that will allow all registered New York voters who are residents of counties affected by Sandy (Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester) to cast their ballot in any polling place in the state via affidavit. This temporary change in NYS Election Law will hopefully facilitate the voting process for people who have been displaced by the storm.

This change does not mean that you should go vote at the polling site closest to your work during lunch. If you can physically get to your assigned polling location and it still exists, vote there. Only votes for the top of the ticket (Obama v. Romney) will count if you are voting outside of your legislative district (i.e., your vote will not count towards other races, such as for State Senate or State Assembly).

There are special “Voter Shuttle” buses available for transport to/from polling sites in Sandy-ravaged Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Sandy be damned, we will vote tomorrow!! Photo by Tom Giebel.

This past week we’ve all been a little distracted by that brat Sandy and the amazing and inspiring outpouring of volunteer relief efforts in her wake. But the election that will shape the next four years of our lives and the future of this country is TOMORROW! If you keep your permanent residence out of state, you can still file an absentee ballot until 5pm today. If you are registered to vote locally, many polling sites have been changed due to Sandy’s wrath. Here are the changes for Brooklyn residents.

(more…)

“We must go forward, not backward. Upward, not forward. And always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.”

Hello, are you registered to vote? Please do it, as it’s ever so important. The last day to register is Oct. 12, and the election, in case you haven’t been paying attention to the CNN vote-watch doomsday clock, is Nov. 6. We don’t care who you vote for, so long as you get out there and give a dern. And did you know that, despite our national media obsessing with which of these guys is richer, that there are many other races you can vote in this year that you might actually have an impact on? (more…)

The new voting machine. You know you wanna give it a whirl.

Chances are you’re getting this from all sides, but we have to do our civic part too. This voting thing is important. WNYC’s It’s a Free Country has a pretty comprehensive Insider’s Guide to the Primaries, with info on polling sites, voter registration (too late for today, but still time for November), candidates and the new fool-proof ballot system. There are plenty of important local races on the ballot, but among today’s big-ticket primaries are those for U.S. Senator (D,R), Governor (R) and NY State Attorney General (D). Polls are open until 9 p.m., so make sure to get to yours.