New York Election Results LIVE: Who won the Empire State?

Impact

“PolicyMic will be covering the 2012 election from the state of NY live. For live updates, bookmark and refresh this page

UPDATE 10:57: Obama claims New York State! Though the numbers aren't in, Sandy has proven to done very little to impede turnout. 

 With just five polls left and results flying in left and right, Romney has a slight lead (granted that there have been no surprises in the states he won).

UPDATES 9:38: By no surprise, Kirstin Gillibrand won her first full term as the senator of New York State. As the champion of anti-hunger initiatives, four more years of Gillibrand equals four more years of a great advocate on the Senate Ag. committee 

UPDATES 9:10: New York, and most state, have closed their polls. It's time for the race to the finish! If you're playing a drinking game for election, remember that tomorrow is not a weekend day. But depending on the results, you may need a little something to brace yourself.

UPDATES 8:55 PM: Here are some great photos of NYC election lines by NYC's best paper, especially for photo journalist, the Daily News:

Voters in Far Rockaway are so determined that they stood in the cold to vote in voting tents!

Brooklyn voters at a school on Glenwood Rd wait patiently.

Bronx voter their way to a new voting site. Many people were reported to have given up and turned away after being told about shuttles to a new location.

UPDATE 8:30 PM: Nearly 800 voters in Parkchester, the Bronx waited in the blistering cold to vote at a site that was supposedly announced to relocate weeks before election. A great amount of voters who had to wait for the shuttle bus gave up out of frustatrion.

On the contrary, us Brooklynites had surprisingly more patients to at least wait.

UPDATE 5:14: So much for uncertainty. While Election Day often subdues the Stock Market, Wall Street has seen the Dow up as high as 134 points since opening today, including an increase on 10-year bond yields and oil. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2012/11/06/election-result-and-market-uncertainty/1684231/

Some speculate that this shows certainty in an Obama win, since he favors the easy flow of money from the Feds. Others say it shows certainty in a Romney win, suggesting confidence of a solution to the fiscal cliff. Whatever the case, the Market is a far cry from the trepidation and fear that has caused it to stall so frequently over the past few months. I want to know what they found out!

UPDATE 4:17: The worst thing you can do in life is ask someone in Brooklyn to wait in line. My father not only created a somber monologue for the long lines in East New York (that starts with something like "Are they pulling another Gore? They can't stop me from voting!"), but he also called News 12 Brooklyn to come over to Vermont St. and Cozine Ave., the heart of East NY, for immediate coverage.

But with 9 voting sites combined for super voting centers, tent being set up in hard hit neighborhoods, and Far Rockaway residents having to scramble to sites across town that apparently didn't have power or generators for the voting machines this morning, East NY may not have it all that bad.

UPDATE 3:53: Not even Sandy can stop the resilience of a New York City voter. Voting is still steady in Staten Island. looks like Mark Murphy has a better shot in the turnout department in his battle with GOP favorite Michael Grimm. Checkout NY1's coverage here:

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/171883/voter-turnout-steady-at-combined-s-i--polling-site

While displaced NY voters who take advantage of Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive order for polling sites to accept voting affidavits can vote in federal elections, the same can't be said for state and local races. It will be interesting to see if displaced NYers are going the length to give every race its fair shake.

 

UPDATE 3:30PM: Looks like Valerie Vazquez of the New York City Board of Elections is having one heck of a busy Election Day. This afternoon, several optical scan machines were inoperable at site in the Upper East Side.With just one working scanner, some people reported having to wait sevral hours on line.

 

In just a few days, New York State will be opening its polls for Election 2012. While very few are genuinely nervous about which presidential nominee will capture the Electoral College votes from the Mecca of liberals, the real question this year lies in the wrath of Sandy.

As of Sunday, November 4, there are nearly 300,000 New Yorkers without lights or electric. According to Con Edison, the final 9% of New Yorkers without power may not have it restored until Nov. 10. The city has even responded by setting up voting tents in areas that may have a hard time reaching voting precincts.

The new hurdles will likely lead to low voter turnout in some areas. Traditionally, low voter turnout disadvantages the Left. Will it cost President Barack Obama the Electoral College vote? Heavens no! Will it cost him a larger share of the popular vote, which is so often given attention to during the post elections ever since the 2000 election fiasco? Certainly.

But what everyone really should be concerned about are the State and local elections that will suffer from the Sandy syndrome. Close races in Staten Island between first-term and controversial GOP Representative Michael Grimm (who faces questions about his fundraising tactics) and challenger Mark Murphy, as well as a rematch between 5th term Democrat Representative Tim Bishop of Long Island and Republican businessman Randy Altschuler, are threatened by low voter turnout in their damaged communities.

Will Sandy make her last bow by hitting the polls? Stay tuned.

PolicyMic will be covering the 2012 election from the state of NY live. For live updates, bookmark and refresh this page