Red Hook votes, by Nathan Weiser

Tuesday, June 23 was election day in Red Hook and PS 15 (71 Sullivan Street) and the Miccio Community Center (110 West 9th Street) were two locations that Red Hook residents could go and vote.

A popular way to vote during this pandemic we are in has been to vote via absentee ballot. Another way people have voted was on early voting days. Everyone else who did not vote via one of those methods and choose to vote came to their polling location on Tuesday.

Nearly all Red Hook residents live in Congressional District 7, Senate District 25 and Assembly District 51.

On the state level at senate, democratic socialist Jabari Brisport, progressive Jason Salmon and establishment Tremaine Wright competed for the open seat in District 25. In Assembly District 51, community activist Genesis Aquino, tenant organizer Marcela Mitaynes and urban planner Katherine Walsh faced off against Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz, who has represented Red Hook in Albany since 1995.

There were not that many people going in to vote in the middle of the day but a stream of people went into each location throughout the day. There was a representative from Brisport’s campaign (who was also representing Mitaynes’s campaign) outside of PS 15 and a few campaign volunteers for Ortiz near the Miccio Center.

Tom Reed had his table with pamphlets for Brisport and Mitaynes set up near the corner of Van Brunt Street and Wolcott Street. He said they are supposed to be 100 feet away from the entrance to the polling location.

He was there most of the day spreading information as he arrived at Wolcott Street at 6:00 a.m. and was going to stay until 9:00 p.m.

“We are just visibility for the Marcela and Jabari campaign,” Reed said.

Reed is part of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and both Brisport and Mitaynes are endorsed candidates for the DSA. He was promoting them both since they are both connected.

Reed has been involved with campaigns on and off for a couple of years volunteering around the elections. He likes being involved and spreading visibility.

His goal was to make sure people who walked by knew that Brisport and Mitaynes are on the ballot and encourage them to vote for those candidates.

“It’s basically visibility to remind them who is on the ballot,” Reed said. “I found found that a lot of people are aware of them and a lot of people are not. It is kind of a mix.”

Reed, who was the only one associated with Brisport and Mitaynes near PS 15, thought that as of about 12:30, 50 people had voted at the PS 15 location.

Jordan Newman was near the Miccio Center near West 9th Street and Henry Street with a big sign encouraging people to vote for Ortiz for many hours. He started his electioneering at 10:30 a.m. and was going to leave at about 5:00 p.m.

This was the first time that Newman had been involved with a campaign. He was electioneering near the Miccio Center with about five others involved with Ortiz’s campaign.

He had a friend who was involved in the early voting and that was why he got involved on Tuesday.

“She told us about this because there were certain people that they could bring, so we came down because more help was needed,” Newman said.

He had a connection through his friend and that led him to do some research. He said he was glad to help.

Although there were not many going in to vote around 3:00 p.m., he saw many people going to vote at the Miccio Center, especially earlier in the day.

“I have seen a lot all day,” Newman said. “I think more than 50. There were more earlier in the morning.”

He enjoyed being involved and liked the message that Ortiz was spreading.

“I actually like his message especially where he is helping with not just the black but the colored individuals, “Newman said. “Their ideas and their issues, he understands. He is able to speak from a more broad perspective and still cope with everybody else.”

He was strongly considering being involved and promoting a campaign in the future.