Brooklynites Beat Sun to the Polls
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008At the crack of dawn on Election Day, 44-year-old Aaron Cook headed to the polls in Bedford-Stuyvesant to vote for the first time.
“I didn’t think it was necessary,” Cook said. “I said ‘Why waste my time?’ But this time, I felt a little different. I felt maybe something could happen.”
With record numbers expected to vote in the presidential election, many Brooklynites showed up as the sun rose. Dozens joined Cook and as he lined up at the Cornerstone Sandy F. Ray Senior Housing Center.
“Getting up early this morning standing on line wasn’t a problem for me,” said Shara Martinez, 30, an Obama supporter and second-time voter. “I think it was a beautiful experience because I’m glad that we’re gonna get a president that can help [the country] and bring it back up to par where it once was before Bush came into office.”
Kanke Ikpi, 26, said that she was not bothered by the early morning. In fact, she said she had trouble sleeping Monday night because it felt like the day before Christmas.
“I’m really excited,” Ikpi said. “Hopefully, at the end of the day it goes the way I want it to go.”
Many voters shared her excitement as they exited the double doors of the senior center this morning.
“It’s been a very exciting, historical election for me,” said 18-year-old Terrell Johnson, a first- time voter who arrived at the center before it opened to voters at 6 a.m. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a while.”
