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New York voters take to polls with minds made up in race for Senate seat

NEW YORK, NY - Penn Station, 12:30 p.m. Sullen passengers stand looking at their schedules, the smell of spiced kabob lingering in the air. While New Yorkers might just think they're waiting for a train this afternoon, right now Penn Station is a place for much more than that. It's also a microcosm of New York voters waiting for their next Senator.

"Hey - how do you get to Newark?" a woman in a tight pink dress inquired loudly to anyone listening, much to the amusement of passers-by who noticed she was standing directly under the sign that told her. Travelers in Penn Station might not know exactly how to reach their destination, but they certainly know where they're going.

Our provocatively dressed example reminds us that, similarly, although New York voters don't completely understand First Lady Hillary Clinton's and Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio's issue stances, they are definitive about which candidate they'll be voting for.

Harried, vaguely informed about the election but too preoccupied with their own lives, the Penn Station population is a replica of New York at large. From the women speaking Spanish outside Dunkin' Donuts to the Rabbi reading the Daily News to the New York University students hauling their backpacks on their smartly dressed shoulders, the diverse New York population runs the gamut from informed to insane voters. On the lower level, travelers waiting for the Long Island Rail Road were so adamant about their choice that it was offensive to ask otherwise.

"Are you kiddin' me?" said John Stanton, a North Point Long Island native. "I mean, how can ya even ask me who I'll vote for like there's any question? Lazio's from Long Island. I'm from Long Island. End of story."

On the dingy subway tracks down below, however, Manhattanites voiced confidence about the Democratic end of the spectrum. "Hands down Clinton," said Stacy Colebrook, an Upper East side resident. In a corner of the subway station, a raggedy-looking man sitting in a pile of newspapers hissed at Colebrook afterwards as she walked by.

"Clinton? Who dat is? I ain't votin' for no president, foo!" While it's risky to trust the competency of a man who sleeps under a turnstile, the homeless man did represent the New York constituency that has no knowledge about the race but can still cast a vote.

This unpredictable group of voters is sparse. Most New Yorkers are as clear about their pick as they are about their loyalty to the Mets or Yankees. But it illustrates the threat both candidates face from sway voters.

Another group of sway voters in this hotly contested race are youngsters, whose demographic is hard to target since candidates unfairly think the only issue they have an opinion on is their love for Carson Daly. Standing outside MTV's "Total Request Live" set in Times Square, however, youngsters exhibited more than just this cliched apathy which mislabels their generation.

While the excitable group did mostly consist of high-strung girls who uttered phrases like "Oh my God, if we got up there that would be the ultimate awesomeness," older college students were also quietly on hand in the back and stood for more than just ignorant irresponsibility.

Yeah, I'm definitely voting for Gore and Hillary tomorrow," said 20-year-old David Jimenez of New York. "And I know all my friends are going to also." Nineteen-year-old Kate Packard of Clemson University expressed a similar interest in elections. "I'm from Virginia, so I absentee balloted for Bush," she said. "I think more kids do that in college than the media acknowledges."

From the man dressed like Superman and holding up an obscene sign outside the Clinton campaign headquarters ("I'm here to save the city from her," he said) to the volunteers handing out election literature, New York is definitely taking a keen interest in the Senate race. Clinton is currently leading by 7 percentage points, but both candidates are embroiled in last minute mud slinging in an effort to seal the race.

Unfortunately, similar to the lottery, which was drawn today for the $10 million New York Jackpot, the result might just be a toss up.

(Diya Gullapalli is a Cavalier Daily associate editor.)

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