UPDATED: Steady Flow of Rye Voters, Plus a Lemonade Stand Capitalizing on Customers This Election Day

-Additional reporting by Alison Rodilosso

Check back with us throughout the day for any updates, and results once the polls close tonight. This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.

In what feels like an early summer day in Rye, with highs in the low 70s, voters are coming out to cast their ballots for the White House — which has proved to be a tight race at the top of the ticket between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.

Liz Quli, who was working the Milton Fire Station polling site in Rye on Nov. 5, told The Record earlier this afternoon that there was a certain energy in the room.

“Definitely a different feeling today, a bit of electricity in the air,” she said. “We are dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’ today.”

She said there had been a steady flow of voters come through, with a bit of a rush in the morning.

One of the people who came by, albeit not to vote, was 16th Congressional District candidate George Latimer, who is projected to win his race tonight against Republican challenger Dr. Miriam Flisser. Latimer, the Westchester County Executive, overwhelmingly beat incumbent U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman – a progressive member of the so-called “Squad” in Congress – back in the June Democratic Primary.

Emily Quirke, another poll worker at the Milton Fire Station, said she’s seen a lot of first-time voters come in, as well as families with their kids.

“It’s been really good,” Quirke said. “A lot of fun.”

Outside the station, three middle school boys had set up a table to sell lemonade, coffee, and hot chocolate to voters in true capitalist bootstrap form. The boys – Thomas Little, Timmy Coffey, and Dermot Coffey – are far too young to vote themselves, but told The Record they decided to set up their stand since they knew there would be a lot of foot traffic today.

“There are going to be a lot of people coming, so [you] make the best of what you have,” they said.

Their best seller was lemonade.

Rye voters will also have the chance to cast ballots in less contentious races today, including the state’s 37th Senate District race, which places incumbent Democrat Shelley Mayer against Republican Tricia Lindsay; and New York’s 91st Assembly District race between Assemblyman Steve Otis, a Democrat, and Republican Katie Manger.

An uncontested election for an expiring one-year term on the Rye City Council is also on the ballot. Democrat James Ward is running unopposed after Republican candidate Rick McCabe dropped out of the race in September due to illness. 

Races for the Westchester County district attorney, New York Supreme Court justice for the 9th Judicial District, Westchester County Court judge, and Westchester County Family Court judge will also appear before voters.

Early Voting

Before Election Day, Rye voters came out to cast early ballots during the state’s early voting period at nearly twice the rate of the 2020 presidential election, echoing turnout trends across the U.S.

There were 4,083 early ballots in Rye scanned during the nine-day early voting period this year — compared to 2,712 during the 2020 period — according to county Board of Elections Commissioner Frank Corvino. Westchester County’s early numbers were also much higher than the 2020 presidential election. There were 180,616 early ballots cast countywide as of Sunday, the last day of early voting, compared to 153,832 in 2020, Corvino said.

The New York City Board of Elections reported that Big Apple residents also had a strong early voting showing — with more than 1 million votes cast during the nine-day period. Those numbers, however, fell just short of 2020 totals.

Ballot proposals

In addition, two proposals — one statewide, the other strictly for Westchester voters — are also on the ballot.

Proposal Number One (also colloquially known as Prop 1) outlines an amendment to the New York state constitution. As written on the ballot, it states that: “This proposal would protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy. It also protects against unequal treatment based on reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”

The main argument in support of Prop 1, according to proponents, is the amendment will enshrine broader legal protections for abortion and allow for less room to restrict abortion rights.

Critics of the measure, including the state Republican Party, say the amendment would cost taxpayers by allowing non-U.S. citizens more state-funded benefits. Many opponents also fear the proposal would grant transgender people the right to compete in sports that align with the gender they identify with, which they believe is harmful to girls and women.

The second ballot proposal asks Westchester County voters to decide on the term limits for the members of the county Legislature. It asks county voters: “Should individuals serving in the position of Westchester County Legislator serve four-year terms instead of two-year terms?”

To learn more about what’s on the ballot, visit https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote. And, remember to check the back side for additional races and ballot proposals.

Polls are open until 9 p.m. today. To find your poll site, enter your address in the Westchester County locator tool.