Polling place distance sign hung on construction fense.

Eastern Suburbs

DeWitt Poll Workers Struggle To Find Polling Center

By John Perik

Published On: November 8, 2022

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John Perik · DeWitt Poll Workers Struggle To Find Polling Center

DeWitt Poll Workers Struggle To Find Polling Center

JONATHAN HECHT, POLL WORKER: “Maybe on the other door tho”
JOHN PERIK, DEMOCRACY IN ACTION REPORTER: “Before poll worker, Jonathan Hecht could even hang up signs in the Panasci Family Chapel at Le Moyne College he had to first get there.”
HECHT: “1419 Salt Springs Road.”
PERIK: “And after he plugged that into his gps, Hecht was reminded that election day can be full of surprises.”
HECHT: “The actual chapel name it says no results found.”
PERIK: “And Hecht was not alone. Qiana Williams, who is also working with Hecht, says she wishes she traded her gps in for an old fashion map.”
QIANA WILLIAMS, POLL WORKER: “It took me to the other side of the campus because you have to be more specific and write down Panaschi family lounge in your directions otherwise it kind of takes you a circular route.”
PERIK: “Williams says recent campus construction is part of the reason people are struggling to find the polling center. But will this impact voter turnout? Well, if Douglas Freedman, the first voter to arrive is any indication.”
DOUGLAS FREEDMAN, DEWITT VOTER: “Was not a problem for me, no.”
PERIK: “But if you do get lost, campus security is around.”
HECHT: “you can call them they will tell you to come here. All of the college employees know where you’re trying to go at this point.”
PERIK: “And for poll worker Qiana Williams the importance of exercising a fundamental American right is worth battling with a gps.”
WILLIAMS: “Having this right to vote and exercise this right in a fair and equitable way is extremely important to me.”
PERIK: “In Syracuse, for Democracy in Action, I’m John Perik.”

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – When Jonathan Hecht woke up this morning, he knew there was a chance election day would bring a few surprises. Today is Hecht’s third election day serving as a poll worker. But Hecht never thought a surprise would come before polls opened.

“When I plugged in 1419 Salt Springs Road, my GPS took a while to load,” Hecht said. “I was very confused why it wasn’t working.”

By the time Hecht’s GPS loaded, the words “no results found” appeared.

“And I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get here via GPS,” Hecht said. “Several of us couldn’t figure out how to get to this location.”

Qiana Williams, a Syracuse resident, is also working at the poll center at Panasci Family Chapel at Le Moyne College. When Williams drove to the polling center this morning, her directions did not take her to the right spot.

“It took me to the other side of the campus,” Williams said. “You have to be more specific and write down Panasci family lounge in your directions otherwise, it kind of takes you a circular route.”

Recent campus construction surrounding the Panasci Family Chapel is part of the reason finding the location was difficult for poll workers.

However, throughout the morning poll workers made a considerate effort to strategically place signs throughout Le Moyne’s campus directing voters toward the polling center.

Le Moyne parking sign pointing towards voting center on campus.

When voters first arrived, the early indication was that confusion among directions would not affect voter turnout. Douglas Freedman, a DeWitt resident, was the first voter to arrive at Le Moyne.

“At first I wasn’t sure if there would be parking or if I would have to park on the street,” said Freedman. “When I saw the signs I realized where the parking lot was.”

People confused with directions can contact Le Moyne campus security.

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