Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-03
City and Upstate Vote
To Be Neck and Neck;
Race Is al Fever Heat
Weather May Determine
Outcome; Polls Do Not
Close Until 9 PM.
BY a Special Correspondent of The Star

BY Special Correspondent of The Star.
NEW YORK, Nov. 2. - AS the
presidential campaign drew to an
end today prevailing opinion was
the New York outcome would be
so close it would be almost impos-
sible to determine it until the final
district is tailed election night.
Many observers thought the election
day weather might have a strong
bearing on the outcome. A cold,
stormy day upstate might give Mr..
Roosevelt an edge, while a clear,
bright one might swing the pen
dulum to Mr.. Willkie.
Various polls of the last few weeks
confirm this impression. In most
the lead has shifted from Demo-
cratic to Republican and back again
in the course of two or three days.
All seem agreed that the winner
will have a margin of not more than
l per cent of the total vote. This
would give the winner sos per cent
and the loser 495.
Most observers are convinced the
Democrats will roll up a majority of
about 100000 votes in Greater New
York They also believe that the
Republican majority upstate dn-
Guiding the two Long Island coun-
tiSs) will be about 100000. In this
situation the result would be deter
mined by the odd figures which will
replace the ciphers
Total Vote 6,5O0,O00.
There is total of $500 900 citi-
Zens eligible to vote in the State
OF these 3,388000 live in Greater
New York and the others upstate.
Usually the ratio of voters to reg
istrants is higher in the city than
in the rural sections. This fact IS
because personal registration is re-
uuired only in communities OF more
than 5000 population, and in many
rural districts the registers carry
the names of persons who have died
or moved away.
Interest is at fever pitch, particu-
larly in New York City. President
Roosevelt made two appearances
here during the week. Mr.. Willkie
also made two. Both had very large
crowds.
In 1886 President Roosevelt OBJ
tanned a plurality of 1,375,00 in the
city, getting about three votes for
ALI M. Landon's one. Not one, not
even his most sanguine supporter,
expects him to do anything nearly
so we'll this time. Not even in the
public" estimates of the various
leaders is there any expectation Mr..
Roosevelt will get two votes to one
anywhere except in the Bronx, home
county of National Chairman Ed
ward J. Flynn.
Polls Open Until PM.
There are some factors which
might change the situation before
election day. Resentment in the
colored sections against the Incl
dent at Pennsylvania Station in
volving Stephen Early, presidential
press secretary, and colored police
man, being famed by Willkie sup
porters, may reach stable proper
lions and thereby reduce the heavy
pluralities which these sections were
expected to return for the New Deal.
Ambassador Kennedy's speech and
President Roosevelts stops in Ro-
chester and Buffalo today may have
greater effects than was anticipated.
Because of the extraordinarily
heavy registration the polls in all
parts of the State will remain open
this year until pm. This means
that it will be difficult to establish
any sort of a State trend in re-
turns until around midnight. In
previous elections the New York out
come has been generally practicable
by 9 pm.
Many observers here believe New
Yorks At electoral votes, the largest
single bloc in the Nation, will be
found in the winners column. They
have difficulty in deciding in ad-
vance what his name will be.