To seek change or offer a second chance, this is a question hovering in the minds of millions of New Yorkers as they have gone to polling stations on Tuesday.

Ayal, a 28-year-old student, wants to see changes. "I vote for Romney," he said. "Obama had his chance, but I feel like he had failed."

Frustrated by current poor employment situation, a part-time security guard told Xinhua he had voted for Romney after casting his ballot at a polling booth set up in the Wall Street.

"Look at the employment, he (Obama) promised he will get it down to 5.4 percent, but now it's 7.9 percent, so that's obviously a failure," He said. "I am willing to try something else."

"Change" is the keyword for voters backing Republican challenger Mitt Romney, while others reckon incumbent President Barack Obama deserves a second chance.

"He (Obama) is the first African-American president. He has done a pretty good job so far, and I would definitely like to give him a second term," said Jason Johnson, a 25-year-old paralegal.

Johnson defended Obama's record in office, blaming the years-long bipartisan deadlock in the Congress for the slow progress.

"When he came to office, we already had two wars that haven't been paid for. He faced something similar to the Great Depression," Johnson said, "He can't fix it unless he has cooperation with both sides, Democrats and Republicans."

Tom, a court Stenographer that refused to tell his last name, also decided to give Obama a second chance.

"In his second term, he maybe do something on his original agenda, such as fixing things of Healthcare, that was a big one," he said.

Tom highly praised Obama's performance in his first term, saying "my life is much better than four years ago, even after the storm (Sandy)."

For some voters, Romney's calls for change did not bring him votes but dislike. William Lam, an 18-year-old student at New York University, was one of them.

After wielding his voting right at a polling site in Chinatown, Lam said, "I didn't vote for Romney, because he is reducing financial aid to college students."

As a student, what he concerned most is to find a job after graduation. "If Obama was reelected, economy would be better," he said.

Those who favor Obama still hope for changes in his second term.

"I am looking forward to more reforms in education and health care." said attorney Ada Varchola.

A projection of the election results won't come out until late in the night, and so it is going to be a very long night.

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