TEXT & PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN MILES

Manhattan Plaza & Other Polling Locations | Tuesday, November 5, 2024: My Election Day coverage began with casting my own vote at the ground level polling site of 400 West 43rd Street’s Manhattan Plaza (where I reside). The morning’s line extended from the voting room, winding 50 feet down the hallway. A guard managed the area near the elevators (the line’s end point), while several polling volunteers distributed booklets that detailed each of the six ballot proposals.

Manhattan Plaza is a close-knit community, so familiar faces in line sparked friendly conversation, making the wait feel brief and communal. Despite the crowd, the entire process took about 30 minutes. Outside, I witnessed a visible reminder of the civic engagement woven into the day’s events: People advocating for Ballot Proposal One. (As the NYS Board of Elections notes, Proposal One—which ended up passing—”would amend Article 1, Section 11 of the New York Constitution…to also protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”)

Throughout the day, I visited several other polling stations across Chelsea. I was restricted from entering with a camera. Outside, there was little to observe beyond the polling location signs and occasional voters leaving, already wearing their “I Voted” sticker. The calm, quiet scenes at these locations suggested that many people had opted for Early Voting. This shift marked a new rhythm to the day, reflecting the growing popularity and impact of early participation in the election process.

At the Out for Harris Phone Bank

The atmosphere was energetic and bustling at 370 Seventh Ave.’s RWDSU (Retail Warehouse Department Store Union), where Out for Harris (an LGBTQ+ advocacy group within the Harris/Walz campaign) had organized a phone bank. Volunteers filled every chair and table, with laptops, earbuds, and personal devices in use throughout the room.

They were targeting a narrowed list of likely Harris supporters in Pennsylvania, focusing on mobilizing these voters to the polls rather than attempting to change minds. NYS Assemblymember Tony Simone, of the 75th District, stopped by, giving an encouraging speech to thank the volunteers for their effort.

Without hesitation, the Democratic candidate took off his jacket, set up his own laptop, and joined in the work. (Simone would end up winning reelection, with 90.38 percent of the vote.

His Democratic colleague in Albany, NYS Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, won reelection having garnered 84 percent of the vote.) I headed upstairs, where a second floor was equally full of volunteers. Both rooms were filled with camaraderie and optimism, reflecting the determination of the inspired team.

At Gossip

At 8:30pm, I arrived at a watch party hosted by the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats at Gossip Irish Bar & Restaurant (33 Ninth Ave. btw. W. 49th & 50th Sts.). The gathering was modest, as by then, the election’s unfolding results were already showing a struggle for the Harris/Walz campaign.

When Assemblymember Simone arrived around 10pm to a warm welcome from his fellow Dems, he offered a bit of encouragement on a night weighed down by uncertainty.

At Vers

A short distance from Gossip, the queer bar Vers (714 Ninth Ave. btw. W. 48 & 49 Sts.) was hosting a watch party by Queers for Kamala.

The bar was at capacity, but the festive spirit had been replaced with a somber, pensive mood.

The reality of the election results was reflected in the faces of the crowd, as they processed the evening’s unexpected turn.

Times Square – Three Visits

I stopped by Times Square three times throughout the day, each visit revealing a different snapshot of Election Day in NYC. My first stop, around 2pm, showed no outward signs of the election: no vendors, hats, or shirts, and the billboards remained silent on updates. Surprisingly, the only election reference was the Naked Cowboy, his guitar covered in Trump bumper stickers—a jarring shift for someone I’d previously photographed at liberal protests like the Climate March. This unexpected change felt like an early, ominous sign of the evening’s direction.

Returning around 7:30pm, the ticker on 45th Street was streaming early results, and across the street, CBS News was broadcasting “America Decides” on the giant screen.

Crowds had gathered, including live-streamers and YouTubers from around the world, reacting to the results. A group of international visitors from Japan, France, Germany, and beyond stood in palpable shock at what they were witnessing. Twice, a man with a bullhorn interrupted the scene, cycling by with a flag and loudly proclaiming he was a “former brainwashed Democrat” while decrying the cost of groceries and soda, insisting “Trump is the answer.”

Near the Hard Rock Café, I noticed a container, painted with Trump’s mugshot superimposed on an American flag, mounted on a Penske truck that had parked for all to witness.

My third visit, at about 11pm, found Times Square filled mostly with podcasters and tourists capturing what they believed to be a historic night.

The air was charged with anticipation, as each passerby seemed intent on recording their piece of the day.

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