Amidst High Turnout, Voters Mixed on Who Should Lead

A steady stream of voters filed into the gymnasium Tuesday morning and into the early afternoon.

Mattituck resident Chris Elliot, a local election inspector of three years, said that about 300 people had shown up to cast their ballots as of 1 p.m., and that most voters — who were the last in the country to still use mechanical lever voting machines last election — handled the federal government's new paper ballot and electronic voting machine well.

"It's been going pretty well, considering that most people have never used this system before," Elliot said. "But [the ballot] is a little hard to read for the older people."

Inspectors helped voters cast their paper ballots, which features SAT test-style oval circles to be filled in with a felt pen next to each candidate of choice, into four electronic optical readers set up in four corners of the gym.

Mattituck resident Alan Righi, 45, said that he missed the old metal lever method of voting.

"I just think it's a more honest way of doing things," he said. "I see too much room for error with these machines."

Righi, a self-described conservative Republican, added that he had his mind made up about who he would vote for before filling in the circles.

"I do believe in change, but I did vote for some incumbents," he said. "It was a good mix."

Laurie Reilly, a 56-year-old lifelong Mattituck resident and registered Independent, said she wasn't quite sure who would get her vote before she walked behind the booth.

"I'm going to be spending a little time in there thinking about it," she said.

Stamatia Kontoverous, 28, said she had her mind made up. The 23-year Mattituck resident said she's determined to vote incumbents like state out of office.

"I want to see change," she said, ballot in hand.

In a tally taken at the George Young Community Center in Jamesport in the morning on Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly favored the Democratic party in most races, including for New York State Governor, for U.S. Congress and for state Assembly. The only close race was between incumbent for a seat in the New York State Senate.

Back in Mattituck, long-time elections inspector Pauline Tison said that several people complained about the new voting machines no matter who they voted for.

"Yes, the federal government wants more of a paper trail, but that might be the problem," she said. "I personally don't see how this has improved things."