Instructions hard to follow, say some voters
Mary Savage came limping out of the polling site at IS 116 Raphael Hernandez School on Nov. 4, adamant that her health issues wouldn’t keep her away.
“I’m hopping, but I still came out to vote,” said the 73 year-old grandmother.
Over the past 34 years that she has been voting, she said, the newer technology has made the process easier. “I like this way better.”
Savage was one of many Hunts Point residents who said they found voting easy and found the equipment provided user-friendly when they came out to vote in this year’s mid-term elections on Nov. 4.
But others complained that poll workers told them they were not registered to vote, though they insist they are.
Evelyn Del Rosario, 42, said she saw poll workers denying entry to a few voters.
“The way they do it in here is confusing,” she said. “I saw two or three people leave without voting because they were frustrated. It’s sad because we need those votes.”
Others were unhappy with the language on three ballot initiatives, arguing the instructions were so unclear they didn’t know what they were being asked to vote on. This year, two proposed amendments to the State Constitution and an initiative to allow students increased access to technological learning tools were on the ballot. Del Rosario said she was so flummoxed she called friends to be certain she was voting correctly.
“I had to make sure that I was doing the right voting, yes or no,” she said.
Claribel Marmol, 25, grew up in Hunts Point, and moved back after graduating from Boston University. Marmol said she found the voting equipment easy to use, but agreed that the initiatives were confusing.
“I feel like the laws are hard to understand, even for someone who has a college degree like myself,” she said. “It’s not in plain language.” Marmol said she was tempted to leave them blank, but decided to take more time to read them over and make an educated guess.
Tomasa Rodriguez, 49, who has lived and worked in Hunts Point for over 20 years, disagreed, saying she found the instructions clear.
“For me, it was quick,” she said, adding the bilingual ballot was a plus.
Shannon McCroskey, 27, found the process was quick and efficient. Although she agreed the ballot initiatives were complex, voters could “Just make sure you take your time and read through the questions before you fill out the back.”
Hemenegilda Rosa agreed the initiatives were hard to follow, and ended up answering only one of the three—with the help of a poll worker.
“I went up to the lady and said what does this mean?” she said.
Ramon Franco, 63, disagreed. saying that he found the process and the ballots easy enough to navigate.
“You don’t have to be no rocket scientist,” he said.