Election Day 2010: West Village

 The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center front.

The first time I voted, I was in Pennsylvania in a big auditorium standing in quiet winding line. This was State College, PA a college town, if you hadn't guessed, surrounded by the miles of Pennsylvania wilderness. Less than ten minutes later, I had skilled the paper ballot, voted in the first African-American President and my legendary twenty-first century moment was over.

Election Day 2010 proved to be less fleeting. From 7:30 to 9:00 PM, I was stationed around the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center on 208 West 13th Street. I say "around" because after a heroic attempt at in-house poll station interviews, I was politely told it wouldn't do. "No," were the exact words. So, the majority of my one-on-one moments happened on the street surrounding the center.


Inside, the LGBT Community Center was not your standard converted poll station. With a center island that seated two volunteers, a mounted flat screen TV hanging from the ceiling and flags all around, the poll station looked like a 21st-century Norman Rockwell painting of an American election day. Outside, it was a nippy, bustling night. Over 30 voters made their way into the office until the polls closed at 9:00 PM. The demographic was as varied as the political preferences I came across with one exception: no Carl Paladino supporters here. That, or no supporters stupid enough to make the case for a gay-bashing Paladino at a mainstay of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.



Otherwise, it was Election Day per usual. While volunteers for the Working Families party flanked both ends of 13th Street handing out flyers to voters heading to the polls, I played my "talk to me and I won't badger you" card. Here's what I learned.

The reason that brought most voters out that night? "Money," said Brian L., a businessman living in the West Village. "Obama had his glory moment. Now it's time to take care of the economy and I don't he's proven himself." 7 out of the 10 people I interviewed agreed the economy was their biggest concern.

While fiscal worries turned some voters against President Obama, others took a more desperate course. Edward Park a student at New York University, admitted his gubernatorial vote was going to Jimmy McMillan for practical reasons. "The man is a karate master, Vietnam veteran who is just saying what we're all thinking - the rent is too damn high. After the whole Paladino mess, we all know Cuomo will win. I'm just exercising my right to get the Rent Is Too Damn High Party back in the next election."

Outside of the economy, technology was a major issue, primarily voting system technology. For the first time, New Yorkers would be scanning in their votes. "I was worried beforehand, but it worked fine," said  Ava B., a life-long New Yorker and grandmother of five. "My only complaint was the small letter size." Voting system reviews remained favorable until the polling station finally shut its doors.

When Wednesday morning hit, the Republicans had taken control of the House of Representatives,  Andrew Cuomo was New York's new governor and the voting machines had not driven testy New Yorkers insane. So what is in store now that the second most important election of the century is over? More bickering between the left and, now, more powerful right, a possible repeal of ObamaCare, and the cementing of Jimmy McMillan's place in culture.