After months of speeches, debates and campaign ads, voters around the country and here in the city are finally headed to the polls this Election Day.
In New York, voters will cast ballots in three statewide races.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is leading Republican challenger Rob Astorino in the polls and in fundraising.
He cast his ballot this morning in Mount Kisco, N.Y.
“We have more private sector jobs today than have ever existed in the state of New York, which is remarkable from where we started four years ago. Are we bumping up against perfection? No. But have we made tremendous progress? Yes we have. And the legislature is functioning and we’re passing bills, and cut spending, and we reduced taxes and jobs are coming back. So I feel very good about the future of the state,” Cuomo said.
Astorino has accused Cuomo of being an Albany insider who has not done enough for the economy.
He was joined by his family in Hawthorne, N.Y. to cast his ballot.
“If you’re sick of the corruption which is what we have with Andrew Cuomo, he’s being investigated by the feds, the bad economy, the taxes that are just driving people out of this state, then you got to make a change. And change begins by changing governors,” Astorino said.
If Cuomo wins, it would make him the state’s first Democratic governor to win re-election since his father.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman cast his vote on the Upper West Side this morning as he seeks a second term in office as the chief legal officer of New York State, where Democrats control all three statewide offices.
His opponent in the race is Republican John Cahill, who previously served as chief of staff to former governor George Pataki.
Cahill voted in Westchester County.
Democratic State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is also up for re-election.
His Republican challenger is Bob Antonacci, who currently serves as comptroller of Onondaga County.
One of the most closely watched Congressional races is right here in the city.
Both candidates have cast their ballots in the heated battle to represent the 11th congressional district, covering Staten Island and part of Brooklyn.
Republican incumbent Michael Grimm received a round of applause from poll workers in New Springfield – his home neighborhood.
Grimm is under federal indictment for tax fraud and perjury related to a health food restaurant he used to run in Manhattan. But he said he was confident he would beat out his challenger, Democrat Dominic Recchia.
Recchia is a former councilman from Brooklyn who has focused much of his campaign on Grimm’s legal troubles.
He cast his ballot in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn.
“I think people are looking for those who are going to step up and lead on the issues, that are going to at least bring some solutions to the problems and challenges that we face. And they recognize that’s the whole reason I ran for Congress in the first place,” Grimm said.
“From January 1st, I’m going to take office and fight for the people of this district. They no longer cannot wait for someone who has to deal with their own issues. They need someone who’s going to fight for them 24/7. From January 1, I’m going to be able to do that,” Recchia said.
NY1′s latest poll shows Grimm with a 19 point lead, despite the fact that he currently faces a 20-count federal indictment.
The electoral process has not been without issue today.
A source contacted NY1 saying voters at a polling site in Brooklyn were being incorrectly told they could only choose one party to vote for across all races.
Board of Elections officials say they are looking into the problem.
There are several numbers to call if you run into problems voting today.
The first is the city Board of Elections 866-VOTE-NYC, or 866-868-3692.
Then there’s the New York Public Interest Research Group which can also be reached at 212-822-0282.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials says it has lawyers on hand to answer questions at 1-888-OUR-VOTE.
Be sure to weigh in on Twitter by using #ny1elex.
Meantime, in Washington, Republicans are looking to hold onto the House and gain control of the U.S. Senate.
Democrats currently hold a 53-45 seat majority in the Senate. But if the Republicans win six seats, they will retake the majority they lost in 2006.
Polls show the GOP has a good chance of picking up seats vacated by retiring Democrats in West Virginia, Montana, South Dakota, and Iowa.
Republicans could also flip seats in Arkansas, North Carolina, Colorado, New Hampshire, Alaska and Louisiana.
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