And just because it's happening in a blue state doesn't mean that it's not voter suppression. You know, if we are waiting three hours, four hours, five hours -- if this was happening in a swing state, there would be national coverage. So I don't want us to think that just because this is a blue state that this isn't a problem. It's very clearly a problem.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done but that being said, at the same time, I am thrilled to see how many people who are overcoming this injustice, waiting in the lines anyway, bringing community supplies, snacks, lawn chairs, you know. We are going to overcome this hurdle so that we can elect the folks that will make sure that this will not be a problem in the future.

REPORTER: When you say "voter suppression" do you mean to suggest that you think here in New York City it's being done intentionally?

AOC: Listen, voter supression, it could be intentional, it could be unintentional. You know, I think that at the end of the day, if you, if the line to your polling place is so long that you don't vote? That is a form of disenfranchisement. And so whether it's intentional or unintentional, to me that is less a concern as it is that it's happineing anyway. But you know what? Again, we've got so many people that are thrilled to vote. This is our first federal election, a general election, where we have early voting. And frankly, we fought to get an extra early voting place. And frankly, this also shows the success of early voting, as well. This is the first time that we've seen lines this long for early voting, so, you know what? I'm extremely excited about that, and we're going to make sure that this is a smoother process.

REPORTER: That's why it's worth it for you and apparently for others to wait two or three hours to do this?

AOC: Well, you know, that's right. To make a change, and to me what is important to me is that I want my voted counted the night that the polls close and the way we do that is by showing up in person. You know if you can't show up in person, youdn't want to show up in person, mail in that ballot, you can do it. If you haven't mailed it in yet, you can even show up to your local board of elections and hand it in person to make sure that it's delivered. And so you an do that, but I wanted to make sure that my vote was tallied the night the polls close so I will wait two hours, just like my neighbors, to make sure that that happens. And it is a privilege and an honor to do so.

REPORTER: How does it feel voting today after all this year?

AOC: Yeah, Well, you know, voting, every time, is a very emotional experience for me. It never gets old to see that, you know, thousands of your neighbors have signed petitions to put your name on that ballot and it's just a privilege every single time. I think that voting is a celebration and it's a, it's a joyful event. I can't wait until Election Day is a federal holday so people don't have to take off work or anything like that. I can't wait for us to expand mail-in voting so it happens every election, not just during a pandemic. I can't wait for us to expand early voting because this is just a tremendous honor.