Election Day 2024 in NYC: Anxiety, dread and cautious optimism as voters cast ballots for president

Voters successful cardinal Brooklyn approached Tuesday with a premix of anxiety, dread and a spot of cautious optimism arsenic NYC residents successful the Democratic stronghold lined up to formed Election Day ballots amid the imaginable of a 2nd word for erstwhile president Donald Trump.

“I’m truly nervous,” Nidhi Hebbar, 34, said aft casting her ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris astatine the Brooklyn Museum connected Eastern Parkway Tuesday morning. “It feels similar 8 years ago.”

That’s erstwhile Donald Trump, Queens existent property scion and world TV star, won the White House successful a astonishment electoral assemblage triumph implicit Hillary Clinton, changing the scenery of mainstream American politics.

“I consciousness a small spot of dread — I’m beauteous disquieted astir what a Trump presidency mightiness mean,” said 47-year-old David May, who besides supported Harris.

Trump’s progressively ominous rhetoric, specified arsenic saying he mightiness usage the subject to combat the “enemy within,” person escalated fears crossed the nation.

“I can’t accidental its a time that I consciousness a large woody of antiauthoritarian spirit,” May said. “Our ideology is precarious astatine best.”

The Brooklynite said helium felt it was “almost impossible” to ideate Trump winning the fashionable vote, but worried the electoral college mightiness tilt successful his favor.

Former President Donald Trump takes the signifier for his past rally of the predetermination twelvemonth astatine Van Andel Arena connected Tuesday successful Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I voted for democracy, and for women’s rights, and rights for everybody else,” said Harris-supporter Era Bani, 41, who told the Daily News she flew backmost from a travel to sojourn friends successful Spain successful bid to ballot connected Election Day.

Asked however she felt the predetermination would go, Bani said she was “a small nervous,” and pointed to security preparations successful Washington D.C.

“When they enactment up fences astir the Capitol, you commencement to worry,” she said.

Trump supporters stormed the Capitol gathering connected January 6, 2021 successful an effort to halt the certification of President Biden’s electoral triumph — an effort for which Trump himself is facing national charges for allegedly inciting the mob.

Another Brooklyn elector and Harris supporter, 40-year-old Mickey Robinson, told The News helium was “cautiously optimistic” that the Vice President would prevail.

Brooklynites spell to the polls astatine the Brooklyn Museum successful Prospect Heights Tuesday morning. (Evan Simko-Bednarski / New York Daily News)

“I deliberation it’s the lone close choice,” Robinson said.

“I person a hard clip knowing wherefore truthful galore radical are undecided erstwhile conscionable 4 years agone the different campaigner said we should bleach our bodies to get escaped of [COVID-19,]” helium added — a proposition Trump made successful the aboriginal days of the pandemic that helium aboriginal tried to assertion was a joke.

While helium and his woman some voted for Harris, 37-year-old Sam Egendorf said helium understood those who weren’t voting.

“I’m much indifferent astir this predetermination than possibly I’ve ever been,” helium said extracurricular the Brooklyn Museum.

Egendorf said helium supported the Biden administration’s efforts to amended support consumers done the Federal Trade Commission, but helium disquieted Harris mightiness correspond a rightward shift.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the closing rally of her run astatine the basal of the iconic “Rocky Steps” astatine the Philadelphia Museum of Art connected Tuesday successful Philadelphia. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“Dick Cheney endorsed Kamala,” Egendorf said of the hawkish erstwhile Republican veep. “It’s terrifying to spot neocons enactment up down Kamala.”

One Brooklyn voter, who asked to beryllium identified lone by her archetypal name, Tasha, said she “didn’t attraction for” either candidate, and wouldn’t accidental who she formed a ballot for.

“My main nonsubjective is [just] to vote,” the 57-year-old said. “As a achromatic person, we didn’t ever person the accidental to vote — wherefore propulsion my ballot away?”