Election Day in Farmingdale: What You Need to Know

Despite what Long Island has endured this past week, it is altogether fitting that the American general election will go on as scheduled today.

Voters go to the polls Tuesday across the United States to choose a president. Farmingdale voters will help decide local, state and federal political races, a political landscape that all but disappeared following the horrific super-storm Sandy.

Here's what you need to know today:

Schools:

• Farmingdale schools are closed today. They were scheduled to be off for election day before the Hurricane Sandy hit.

Elections:

Votes will decide the 2012 race for the White House today, whether to give Democratic President Barack Obama another four years or elect Republican Mitt Romney.

A wide range of state and local races are also to be decided. See Patch's election guide here for a complete understanding of today's state and federal elections. Patch will have complete coverage today, tonight and into tomorrow.

Polling Places:

Farmingdale's polling places are expected to be in the same place as you voted before. The polls are open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Power Outages:

LIPA's outage map was inoperable early Tuesday morning, so an update was not possible. Its website said it expects to have 90 percent of its customers restored to power by Wednesday.

On Monday, LIPA reported that about 1,300 customers in Farmingdale and South Farmingdale remain without power, considerably better than many other Long Island communities.

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If you're cold:

There's plenty of places to stay warm.

• Farmingdale High School has been opened as a shelter and warming center by County Executive Edward P. Mangano.
• The Library is open.
• Downtown is open for business. Most shopping centers are open.

Getting around town and beyond:

• The LIRR is crowded, but running near normal.
• NICE buses are running.
• Gas continues to be in short supply and gas lines are a frequent occurrence. Public officials say the shortage is temporary and will be resolved when more gas stations see their power restored.

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