Photo of the "Election Day Polling Place" sign.

Early morning voters go to the Reform Church of Syracuse to cast their ballots. (c) 2022 Marie Achkar

City of Syracuse

Early Morning Voters Talk About What Casting Their Ballot Means to Them

By Marie Achkar

Audio

Voters talk about why they got up early to come to the polls.

Reporter: It’s Election Day. And voters at the Reformed Church of Syracuse are coming in early to cast their ballots. Voter Andrea Wandersee says it’s important to vote early in the morning before the day gets hectic.

Andrea Wandersee: I remember every election I’ve ever voted in. And I think it’s really important to make sure you get it done before your day gets too busy and before you get distracted.

Reporter: Other voters are just excited for Election Day and wanted to be at the polls as early as they could get there. Voter Antonietta Clemente says that being at the polls is a priority.

Antonietta Clemente: I wanted to come in and vote. I get up early anyways. And it’s the first thing on my agenda for the day.

Reporter: But for some voters, getting up early on Election Day is a family tradition. Voter Lucy Paris says that she has been voting in the morning for as long as she could remember.

Lucy Paris: It means everything to me. From the time I was a little child, I used to go into the polls with my dad first thing in the morning and we were always taught that it’s our right and it’s our privilege to vote.

Reporter: Voters don’t just show up at the polls in the morning to get voting out of the way. For many, it is a time to exercise their rights and continue a tradition that is special to them.

Marie Achkar, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (DIA) – It’s Election Day, and that means voters in Central New York will be visiting polling sites like the Reformed Church of Syracuse as early as 7 a.m. to cast their ballots.

For many voters, casting their ballots in the morning is the first thing on the agenda for the day. 

“I’m always here early in the morning. I always do it before I go to work,” said Andrea Wandersee, a local voter. “I remember every election I’ve ever voted in. And I think it’s really important to make sure you get it done before your day gets too busy and before you get distracted.”

Other voters said that waking up early to vote is a tradition for them. Lucy Paris, a local voter, said that voting in the morning is special to her.

“It means everything to me,” Paris said. “From the time I was a little child, I used to go into the polls with my dad first thing in the morning and we were always taught that it’s our right and it’s our privilege to vote.”

But voters aren’t only just showing up at the polls to get their votes cast first thing in the morning. Many view voting as a way to have a say in who the next leaders will be.

“It means everything.” said Antonietta Clemente, a local voter. “It defines being an American. There’s no greater privilege in the world than to be able to vote and pick the people you want to represent you and represent your values.”

Other voters said that casting their ballots is a way for them to actively participate in democracy. It allows them to have a say in which policies are put into place.

“Election day is really important. It’s our opportunity to exercise our right to be involved in our public process. To have an impact on the policies that impact our lives,” Wandersee said. “It’s our opportunity to steer the direction of the policies of our country.”

Voters don’t just show up at the polls in the morning to get voting out of the way. For many, it is a time to exercise their rights and continue a tradition that is special to them.

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Voters are waking up early to cast their ballots at the Reformed Church of Syracuse. But voting means a lot more to them than just an early start to their day.

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