Photo by: Elly Yu

Marion Shepard, 73, walked almost a mile with her walking stick in hand from her original polling site to the new location at Van Nest Academy.

By Elly Yu

Voters in Parkchester were frustrated and confused on Election Day when four polling sites in the area were moved to another location blocks away, leaving them desperately trying to find transportation to the new site.

Voters from all four locations had to go to Van Nest Academy on 1640 Bronxdale Avenue, but many voters, like Zelideth Diaz Hatch, said they weren’t informed of the change.

“They never notified us. This is about losing our votes. People are getting discouraged,” Hatch said.

Others got an information card in the mail two weeks ago. The Board of Elections determined that the four sites in Parkchester – 1920 McGraw Avenue, 2051 St. Raymond Avenue, 1591 Metropolitan Avenue, and 1380 Metropolitan Avenue – were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Michael Rivadeneyra, legal counsel for Councilwoman Annabel Palma’s Office.

Other Bronx sites also reported problems late in the day:

-Manhattan Colleges’ Draddy Hall Gym was the third poll site in the Bronx that was shut down because it is still doesn’t have power.

-At St. Brendan’s School in Norwood, the line to enter the polling site snaked up a ramp and down the block at 7 p.m., with at least 200 people waiting.

John Sodaro and Jarrett Murphy contributed to this report.

Produced in cooperation with CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s NYC News Service.