WENCA: West Enders Can Use Carpool Service to Voting Site

West End residents looking to cast ballots on Election Day can take advantage of a volunteer carpool service that will take them to a relocated polling site outside their neighborhood. 

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The West End Neighbors Civic Association has organized the service in which volunteers will drive their cars to pick up residents at the front entrance of West School, 91 Maryland Ave., the former polling site, and transport them to the alternate site, Lindell School, 601 Lindell Blvd., and return them to the West End after they vote, from 9:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, WENCA President John Bendo announced Sunday.

“Please take advantage of this service and make sure you go vote,” Bendo wrote in an announcement that he emailed to WENCA members and other residents. “Also, help out your neighbors by letting them know about the shuttle service.”

William Biamonte, the Democratic commissioners of the Nassau County Board of Elections, disapproved of reopening West School as a voting site for the primary election on Nov. 5, despite that the school was reopened for classes in early September after repairs were completed at the Hurricane Sandy-damaged building. Louis Savinetti, the Republican commissioner, agreed to reopen the school for the primary. Both commissioners, however, must agree in order for the site to reopen.  

Last week, Jerry Romanoff, vice president of WENCA, submitted to the commissioners a petition with more than 500 signatures from residents throughout Long Beach, urging them to reopen the West School site. A note that accompanied the petition stated that residents want to vote where they live and that many of them don’t have transportation to drive to Lindell School, nor can they take a bus that would take them directly to the school.  

After the City of Long Beach declined to provide bus transportation for residents from West to Lindell schools on Election Day, Romanoff and others, including County Legis. Denise Ford (R-Long Beach), a West End resident, tried to work with local taxi companies to see if they could assist with their carpool efforts, but to no avail.

“The taxi situation did not work out,” Romanoff told Patch. “We are getting WENCA volunteers to drive voters from West School to Lindell School, all day.” 

Bendo asks that anyone who would like to volunteer for the carpool service to email WENCA at westendneighbors@outlook.com.