By Joe Hirsch
news@huntspointexpress.com
Schools across Hunts Point and Longwood opened their doors for the public to cast their votes on November 4, in a historic election that featured an African-American presidential candidate for the first time in US history.
Voters of all ages expressed their excitement at the prospect of a Barack Obama administration as they left Middle School 424 on Bryant Avenue where they had voted.
“This is important because I believe the candidate I voted for will make the changes that he has promised,”
said Margarita Garcia, 70, who has lived in Hunts Point since the 1970s, and voted for Obama.
“This campaign is different than the ones way back, I found,” Garcia added, saying she found the televised presidential debates riveting. “They were not afraid to speak.”
Garcia said she had faith Obama would deliver on vows to protect Social Security, while providing jobs and housing.
“Most of all, he’s going to get our soldiers back home and put an end to this war,” she said emphatically.
Unlike Garcia, Jason Castillo, 18, voted for the first time. Like her, Castillo voted for Barack Obama. With the help of one of his teachers, Castillo dug into social issues at school this semester, and found the political fray intriguing.
“With McCain, I’ll bet in one year he’d be like Bush,”
Castillo said, adding that he saw a McCain stump speech on Youtube that convinced him McCain would not provide any needed changes.
“Education is a big part of it,” he said. “People need help with our [school] loans.”
The Democrat’s biggest selling point in Castillo’s eyes, however, is immigration policy. Castillo said he thought Obama’
s policies would be more favorable for immigrants, which would eventually enable a close Dominican relative residing in Hunts Point to become legalized.
A young woman passed him on her way into MS 424 to cast her vote, and Castillo stopped her, asking, “you voting Democrat?” “Yeah,” the woman answered.
Others were excited at the prospects of voting for change, but frustrated by glitches in the voting process.
“They’re not training the people in there properly,” said LaShawn Lindsey, 40, who said she had stayed inside for over an hour trying to help voters who didn’t seem to know how to use the paper ballots correctly, and weren’t getting guidance from the poll workers.
Lindsey said voters had to use paper ballots because the machine for the 71st district had broken down. To compound the problem, she said, the one Spanish language interpreter appeared unable to keep up with the need for language help. Lindsey said she herself asked bilingual voters in the line to interpret instructions for Spanish speakers in helping them understand the process.
“I don’t know why they sent just one machine for the 71st district,”
Lindsey said. Nevertheless, Lindsey’s enthusiasm over the possibilities of a revamped health care system overrode her frustration with malfunctioning voting machines.
“He’s not an island, he can’t do it all himself,” she said of Obama’s need to get health care reforms through Congress, “but he’s capable of working with all parties.”
Lindsey was impressed with the turnout, attributing Obama’s support in Hunts Point to the connection African-Americans and Hispanics feel with him.
“I vote every election, and it’s a much larger crowd this time,” she said.
Voters for Republican presidential candidate John McCain were difficult to find on the streets of Hunts Point on and around election day.
“Ten out of ten people, when I asked who they were voting for, they said Obama,” said Vincent Morillo, who works at Pico’s Juice Bar on Hunts Point Avenue. “They said he’ll make changes moneywise.”
For other voters, however, it was just another day at the voting booth.
“It’s not that different than other elections,” said a 39 year-old man who identified himself only as Cruz, as he left MS 424. Cruz said he was voting for Obama because he is hopeful the Illinois Democrat “will give small companies a chance to give health insurance to their employees.”
Still, Cruz shrugged off the notion there was anything historic in the 2008 election.
“I don’t see it as a big deal,” he said.