As New Yorkers cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 general election, they cited various reasons why they felt the need to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican former President Donald Trump.
Voters on both sides of the political spectrum took to the polls in droves on Tuesday to have their voices heard in an election that both major political parties have framed as pivotal. As of 3 p.m. on Nov. 5, more than 2 million New Yorkers had voted in the general election, including both those who voted early and cast their ballots on Election Day.
Those who came out to vote for Harris said they chose her because she would be the first woman to hold office, uphold democracy, and bring competence to the job.
Danielle Stouck, who voted at MS 51 in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning, said that as the mother of a young daughter, she wanted to vote for Harris as the first woman president.
“This is a hugely consequential election, and I wanted my daughter to vote for, hopefully, our next female president,” she told Brooklyn Paper, amNewYork’s sister publication. “My hope is that we get to elect a woman, black, Asian woman who can be a role model for my baby and who can make this world a little bit better.”
In Manhattan, Remi Toledo, originally from Columbia, said he voted for Harris because he believes Trump would be a dictator if he were re-elected rather than working within the traditional democratic system.
“I feel like our nation, democracy is under threat,” said Toledo. “I think having a dictator in power is not what America is about.”
Courtney Cogburn said she voted for Harris because she believes the vice president is more competent and has a better temperament than Trump does.
“She’s rational, intelligent,” Cogburn said. “She has lots of experience, I think a level-headedness that’s really important for this office in particular, as compared to Trump. For me, who doesn’t feel competent or in the right mind, as far as I’m concerned.”
But, while New York is an overwhelmingly blue city, Trump is not without his supporters in the five boroughs.
David Massey, who was standing on Brooklyn’s 4th Avenue near the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues on Tuesday morning holding a pro-Trump sign, said he is voting for Trump because of the former president’s economic policies.
“I am voting for Trump because I made more money under him,” Massey said. “That’s what this election comes down to for me — who will load my pockets more.”
Meanwhile, some voters still remained undecided on who to vote for, even with just hours to go before the polls closed on Election Day.
Emilio Cabrera, as he was about to vote at Bronx Borough Hall on Tuesday morning, told the Bronx Times that he still was not sure if he would vote for Harris or Trump.
“I’m confused right now,” he told the paper about which candidate was better, noting that both have been “losing focus” as they attacked one another in the lead-up to the election.
With reporting from Barbara Russo-Lennon, Dean Moses, Robert Pozarycki, Emily Swanson, Sadie Brown, Meaghan McGoldrick O’Neil, Kirstyn Brendlen, Jada Camille, Gabriele Holtermann & Lloyd Mitchell
