Election Day is approaching, are you prepared?

As Election Day steadily approaches, Uniondale finds itself at the center of a pivotal political battleground — with Don Clavin up for re-election as Town of Hempstead Supervisor, running against Uniondale native Olena Nicks, as well as longtime Westbury residents Siela Bynoe and Karin Campbell battling for the chance to serve the communities they hold dear.

With the district's recent restructuring, voters in this area have much to consider as they prepare to cast their ballots.

District 2, once sprawling from Westbury to Lakeview, underwent a significant transformation when the Nassau County Legislature adopted a new district map in February. With this new map, all of Uniondale along with Westbury, New Cassel and a small section of the Village of Hempstead, are all in one legislative district.

As the race for representation in Uniondale is unfolding, this reconfiguration shines a light on the issues and concerns of a concentrated community that most residents feel have been forgotten and lacks adequate resources — emphasizing the importance of being informed and participating in local elections more than ever before.

Mike Edwards, a resident of Uniondale and former employee for the Town of Hempstead, emphasized the importance for community members such as himself to be civically engaged at the local level.

“Local elections are the ones that affect people the most because it's right in our backyard,” he explained. “We're talking taxes, we're talking job opportunities, we're talking education, we're talking health-care systems, we're talking access to resources and dollars — how is it that Uniondale is only starting to get these types of opportunities in recent years versus the Levittowns, the East Meadows, and others?”

Edwards points out that minority communities often don’t vote in local elections at the rates that they should, but also acknowledges there are systemic issues at play that help cause this.

According to the National Civic League, minority communities in America tend to participate in local elections at rates 20 percent lower than nearby white neighborhoods, while voters from “affluent” neighborhoods have 30-50 percent higher turnout in local elections than low income voters, and residents aged 65 and over are seven times more likely to vote in local elections than voters aged 18 to 34.

“If we're going to be mad at people like Trump and the Marjorie Taylor Greene, we need to take that same energy we got for them, and have it for Don Clavin, Kate Murray and all these other people that are really on the ground right in our backyard — regardless of party lines.”

Edwards says you can expect to see him on line during Election Day and encourages the rest of the community to join him. “I'm hopeful that over time, because it's not going to happen just within this election, that we start to really look at prioritizing the young up-and-comers — and it starts with local government — the young people really show their dedication towards putting resources back in these communities.”

Early voting kicked off Oct. 28 and lasts through Nov. 5, with Election Day taking place on Nov. 7 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The early voting hours are as follows:

•Sunday, Oct. 29: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

•Monday, Oct. 30: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

•Tuesday, Oct. 31: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

•Wednesday, Nov. 1st: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

•Thursday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

•Friday, Nov. 3: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

•Saturday, Nov. 4: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

•Sunday, Nov. 5: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Tuesday, October 31st, and Thursday, November 2nd, the early voting location will remain open until 8 PM, providing a convenient window for those with busy schedules. To find your specific polling location, you can check the postcard sent by the county Board of Elections prior to the election, or visit the Nassau County Board of Elections website.

The Uniondale Fire Department Sherman Van Ness Fire Station, located on Uniondale Avenue between the Hempstead Turnpike and Front Street, serves as one of these early voting locations, offering the community a convenient and accessible place to exercise their civic duty. Jessica Ellerbe, chief of the Uniondale fire department, understands the significance of this election, the opportunity for the local fire house to host and engage voters for this year’s race, and is encouraging all residents to take advantage of the early voting process to ensure Uniondale’s voice is heard.

Ellerbe emphasized that these nine days of early voting provide an exceptional window of opportunity for residents to engage actively in the democratic process, and stresses that every vote cast is a building block for the future of Uniondale and the new district overall — referencing Susan B. Anthony’s quote, "someone struggled for your right to vote, use it."

"Early voters can go to any polling location and avoid long lines on Election Day. The firehouse is ADA accessible and has special weekend and evening hours for early voters. I encourage all residents to practice their civic duty to vote in the local elections and make it count," said Ellerbe.