At polling places in Brighton Beach, the scene was chaotic as the very act of voting remained mysterious to these first-timers. The Board of Elections hasn't provided Russian-speaking poll watchers to assist the growing number of new Russian citizens exercising their right to vote. The turnout of the Russian voters is unprecedented, and we can't handle it. Working for hours without a break, Yakubson helped disoriented new Russian voters navigate the voting process, and particularly the machine itself.
Some observers say the machines can be intimidating to first-time voters.
Stavitsky had been conducting an exit poll for Columbia University outside a polling place at Shorefront Y on Coney Island Avenue but said she was drafted into helping confused voters because she spoke Russian. Rozalia Krashenaya came to the Shorefront Y to write in the name of Alec Brook-Krasny, a Russian community leader and businessman, for the State Assembly. Krashenaya said she didn't understand a poll worker when he explained how to write in her vote, and he became annoyed when she asked him to repeat the instruction. It's such a shame. Outside the Shorefront Y, many Russians were asking how to spell Brook-Krasny's name.