SYRACUSE, N.Y. – At Bellevue Heights, United Methodist Church, a polling site on South Geddes Street, crowds of eager voters flowed in and out of the building. Adhering to social distancing guidelines, voters took hand sanitizer and grabbed their ballots before spreading out around the room.
As the central New York combats the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Onondaga County has put a number of protocols in place to enable safe voting. Many voters did not let COVID-19 stop them from exercising their democratic right in person.
Among the community members casting their ballots Tuesday morning were Syracuse University alumni Henry L. Yokel and his partner Harry Freeman-Jones.
Yokel, 72, proudly wore his ‘I Voted’ sticker as he left the church, supported by his cane. The retired Syracuse City School District elementary school teacher described how special this voting process was to him
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“This is the most important election of my lifetime,” he said.
The decision to vote in person was a difficult one for Yokel because of pre-existing health conditions that put him at greater risk from COVID-19. Despite the health concerns, Yokel said he was determined to participate in the symbolic act of casting a physical ballot on Election Day.
Freeman-Jones, a retiree who formerly worked for Upstate Medical University and LeMoyne College, said his role within the LGBTQ community served as a motivation to drive to the polls early this morning.
“One thing I haven’t retired from is activism,” Freeman-Jones said.
After coming out as a gay man during the summer of 1969 amid the Stonewall Uprising, Freeman-Jones described himself as deeply involved in the LGBTQ movement for equal rights. Having been one of the first gay couples to have their wedding covered by national and international media, human rights and activism have played a big role in Freeman-Jones’ life.
“When I first moved from Boston to Syracuse, we were fighting for gay freedom and issues that we are still fighting for today,” he said. “We have come too far to be pushed back now.”
Donald L. Abrams, a voting machine specialist and long-time poll worker, said that voter participation had increased this year and that younger voters were not only taking the time to cast ballots, but also inquire about becoming poll workers themselves.
Abrams said that these up-and-coming voters are the reason why he has worked the polls for the past 17 years. Similarly, a number of parents traveled to the polls with their children to show them the importance of voting. Melissa Mitrevski, a stay-at-home mother with a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, stressed what is at stake in terms of this election.
“Democracy is at stake,” she said. “My children’s future is at stake.”