HarlemView | Election Day Interviews

Some in West Harlem brought their best friends to vote today. Photo by Dayna Michels

At Manhattanville Houses on 133 Street and Amsterdam,

by Junior Cruz

James Chu, 23, stopped to vote on his way to The City College of New York (CCNY). He stood under the scaffolding that surrounds the building and said he’s concerned that many people didn’t want to vote because they don’t like the candidates. He did make an effort to convince other people about the importance of voting. “I have encouraged like four people to register to vote who are from other parts of the state, who might not think they should, or that it matters.”

He wants to have hope for the future. “I am most worried about what the economy will be like and like will I be able to afford a house when I graduate,” he said.

This man proudly showed off his I Voted sticker. Photo by Muhammed Irfan.

At P.S. 175 the Henry H. Garnet School for Success on West 134 Street

by Anna Vergolini

Gary, a 38-year-old man born and raised in Harlem, stood in the line at P.S. 175 to cast his ballot, and said that he was excited to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. “You know it’s about time that we have a woman as a President,” Gary said. “I’m more than happy to give everyone a chance and open new doors. I just hope that she’s gonna set a good example and doesn’t fall into the stereotypes, making it then harder for someone to try it again later on.”

Agatha, an older woman who had seen me interviewing Gary, approached and wanted to talk. “I moved to Harlem 45 years ago, when I was pregnant, I’ve lived here under the past seven presidents and I would like to elect someone who is gonna make it possible for me to live here for the next few years too,” she said.

Agatha plans to move into a retirement home in the next few years. She said, “My kids and grandkids are working all day long, all week long, to pay rent, I can’t keep on asking them to take time for me, they can’t afford that anymore.” She said, living in the city is becoming impossible and that she and her family are lucky they found rent controlled apartments in the neighborhood.

Agatha was voting for Vice President Kamala Harris. She said that she’s scared that under Trump the cost of living is going to get too high. She also worried about him cutting Social Security benefits, which are her only source of income.

Her grandson 27-year-old Goze, waited outside while his grandmother voted. He said that he had decided not to vote. “I don’t like the idea of choosing for the less evil. The candidates should not be evil period.” Pretty soon after he said that, his grandmother came out wearing her I Voted sticker.

Daniel, another Harlem native, also wore his voting sticker and talked about the candidates and evil. “I do believe Trump and Kamala are the devil,” he said. “But even though I know not everyone else sees it, we can all at least recognize that Trump is a bigot. I know many people won’t vote because they don’t like the current options, but we need to start by voting for the best options until we get someone that will be competent enough to fix this country.”

Now that he’d voted, he planned to celebrate what he called the “last moments of normality before the chaos.” He was going to stop at a deli and pick up a few beers to drink at home with his friends.

Here is the place to vote. Photo by Muhammed Irfan.

At P.S. 192, Jacob Schiff Elementary School, at Amsterdam 136 Street

by Rosemarie Gonzalez, Sandra Gonzalez

At the largely Hispanic voting place, many elderly men and women, some with walkers and canes, slowly made their way up the steep hill from Broadway to Amsterdam to vote. Some had a family member helping them walk and climb the stairs that led into the school.

Lilliana Hernadez brought her young daughter to vote with her. She said, “This is one of those elections where if you don’t vote, you don’t have a say.”

Layda, who didn’t give us her last name, said she voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. “I want to see change, change that’s going in the right way. She could bring a lot of good things to this country.”

Another voter, Elena wasn’t happy with either candidate at first, but in the end voted for Vice President Harris. “You can’t vote for someone that wants to kick us out,” she said. Elena became a citizen in the late 1990s and she talked about the United States as a nation of immigrants.

At P.S. 192, Jacob Schiff Elementary School, at Amsterdam 136 Street

By mid-morning the polling place was busy with people lined up outside.

People lined up outside the Jacob Schiff Elementary School. Photo by Dayna Michels

People patiently waited to vote. Photo by Dayna Michels

by Isangel Acevedo

Many people didn’t want to discuss the election. The few who did wouldn’t tell us their names. One 25-year-old woman said that she was voting on her lunch break. She said, “It’s stressful because I don’t know how it is going to go. It’s mostly up to fate.” She did tell us that she voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The second woman who stopped to talk said, “Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter and turned it into X, I am seeing more ads for Donald Trump than ever before. I think that Trump’s policies lean toward people like, rich white men. Even if there are a bunch of people who would love to be millionaires one day, Trump’s policies won’t make that any more likely.” She worries about the division in the country and what will happen if Harris wins. “I’m worried about a miniature civil war,” she said.