Little waiting on city’s 1st day of early voting

The city that never sleeps finally got to vote without wasting hours on line.

Mayor de Blasio was one of the first New Yorkers to cast a ballot early as the city kicked off its first ever preElection Day voting window.

“I cannot say enough thank you’s to [lawmakers] for finally bringing New York state into the 21st century.” said de Blasio after voting with First Lady Chirlane McCray at the Park Slope Y in Brooklyn. “It’s kind of amazing, kind of troubling it took this long in New York, but we finally got there.”

Sixty-one polling places will be open citywide every day until next Sunday, Nov. 3. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The off-year election is seen as a chance to work out the glitches before the 2020 presidential and congressional contests, which are likely to draw record voter turnout.

There are no marquee races on the ballot this year, with the biggest being likely walkovers for Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Melinda Katz for Queens district attorney. There’s also a ballot question to authorize ranked-choice voting in primaries and special elections, which progressive advocates say will force candidates to vie for broader support. Early voting, which has been routine for years in flyover states, is part of a package of voterfriendly election reforms passed in Albany after Democrats took control of the state Senate for the first time in recent memory. Tony Lacavaro, 47, voted while his 11-year-old son played basketball in the Park Slope Y gym.

“It was very convenient,” said Lacavaro, a consultant. “Much, much easier.”

Janet Aitchison said the biggest difference was the zen-like calm of election workers, who outnumbered voters in many polling places citywide.

“It’s much less harried than normal,” said Aitchison, 57, who works in publishing. “They were lovely and calm, the workers. They’re always nice, but they’re usually stressed.”

Liam Malanaphy was more than happy to skip the Election Day ordeal at his usual polling place in nearby Kensington, where he failed to cast a ballot last year after voting machines crashed.

“It was a disaster,” the attorney recalled. “We gave up, the machines were broken.”