These Are The Most Overloaded Early Voting Sites In Queens

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS — Since early voting began Saturday, hours-long lines have formed at polling sites around the city — but some sites appeared much more crowded than others.

A new report by the city's Campaign Finance Board explains why: The number of voters assigned to each early voting site varies enormously, and seemingly without regard for the capacity of each site.

Among the most overloaded sites in all of New York City are several in Queens, including three early-voting sites that each serve nearly 100,000 voters, according to the Campaign Finance Board's analysis, which was first reported by Gothamist.

There are 18 early-voting sites in Queens, which is home to more than 1.2 million registered voters, the data shows.

According to the CFB analysis, the five most overloaded polling sites in Queens are:

1. Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall: 98,012 assigned voters
2. Resorts World Casino New York City: 97,677 assigned voters
3. Rochdale Village Community Center: 96,194 assigned voters
4. York College, Academic Core Building: 82,404 assigned voters
5. Creedmoor Hospital: 82,038 assigned voters

The borough's least-crowded site, First Baptist Church Of East Elmhurst, has just 30,589 assigned voters.

Other sites with much fewer assigned voters include the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, where 48,495 voters may cast ballots early, and the Rego Center Community Room, which has 58,286 assigned voters, according to the data.

Mayor Bill de Blasio attributed the long lines seen at some poll sites to incompetence on the part of the city's Board of Elections, while U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called them a form of voter suppression, since they could deter people from casting their votes.

Responding to public pressure, the Board of Elections on Tuesday announced extended early-voting hours from Friday to Sunday at sites around the city.

Patch editors Nick Garber and Anna Quinn contributed to this report.