Tomorrow is the start of early voting and for the first time in history, New Yorkers will be able to vote early in a presidential election. The country (and the world) is watching with bated breath, anxious to see whether President Donald Trump will be re-elected or if former Vice President Joe Biden will come out on top. But, it’s not just the showdown between Trump and Biden that we get our say in. So, do you know who else is on the ballot?
We’re electing a new president of our own –– a Queens Borough President.
City Councilmember Donovan Richards won the June Democratic Primary. And while he is the likely winner since Queens elections tend to go to Democrats (which, don’t ya know, tends to be the case in most of the elections in our fine city), he has one more hurdle to overcome before he’s Queens Borough President-Elect.
Richards is facing off against Queens County Republican Party Chairwoman Joann Ariola who is running on the Rrepublican line and businessman Dao Yin, who is running with the Red Dragon party after losing in the Democratic primary.
We’re re-electing a lot of lawmakers –– But really, they are sitting pretty and unopposed.
Queens County Democratic Party Chairman and U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks is the only sitting congressperson not facing a challenger.
In the New York State Senate, Senators James Sanders Jr., Leroy Comrie Jr., Toby Ann Stavisky, and Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris are all shoe- ins. So are Assemblymembers David I. Weprin, Nily D. Rozic, Daniel Rosenthal, Alicia L. Hyndman, Brian Barnwell, Vivian E. Cook, Clyde Vanel, Catherine Nolan, and Catalina Cruz.
Meanwhile, DSA-endorsed insurgent Zohran Kwame Mamdani who unseated Assemblymember Aravella Simotas in the Democratic primary, is also running unopposed and sailing smoothly towards Albany.
The rest of Mamdani’s cohort of progressive insurgents who unseated incumbents in the June Democratic primaries are up against Republicans and third party candidates as they finish their long journey to the state capital.
Jenifer Rajkumar needs to beat Giovanni A. Perna, who is running on the Repulican, Conservative and Save Our City ballot lines.
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas has to win against Republican and Conservative candidate William A. Marquez.
Meanwhile Khaleel Anderson, who did not unseat an incumbent in June because he’s hoping to fill the empty Assembly District 31 seat, is up against Republican candidate Joseph A. Cullina.
The same goes for the other sitting members of Congress hoping to stay in office.
U.S. Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi is defending his seat against Republican and Conservative candidate George A.D. Santos, as well as Libertarian Howard Rabin.
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng is up against Republican Thomas J. Zmich who is also running on multiple third party ballot lines.
U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez is on the ballot against Republican and Conservative Brian W. Kelly, and Libertarian Gilbert Midonnet.
Republican and Conservative Garfield H. Wallace is challenging U.S. Rep. Hakeem S. Jeffries
After a long and messy ballot count this past summer, U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney has to re-enter the fray against Republican and Conservative Carlos Santiago-Cano, and Libertarian Steven Kolln.
Finally, progressive star U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is defending her seat for the first time in a general election against Republican and Conservative John C. Cummings, and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, who, after losing the Democratic nomination to Ocasio-Cortez, is running with the SAM party.
At the state level, Queens has three senators and five assemblymembers facing challengers.
The three senators are all facing Republican candidates who are also running on third party ballot lines.
State Senator John C. Liu up against candidate Elisa Nahoum. State Senator Jessica Ramos is defending her seat against candidate Jesus Gonzalez and State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. is facing down candidate Thomas P. Sullivan.
Three assemblymembers are also being challenged by Republican candidates who are also running on third party ballot lines.
Assemblymember Stacey G. Pheffer Amato is up against Peter D. Hatzipetros. John-Alexander M. Sakelos is challenging Assemblymember Edward C. Braunstein and Assemblymember Jeffrion L. Aubry is defending his seat against Han-Khon To.
Meanwhile, Assemblymember Andrew D. Hevesi is running against third party candidate Danniel S. Maio, who is on the COVID19 Stories ballot line, and Assemblymember Ron Kim is up against Justice & Peace candidate Steven Lee.
To find your early voting site and to see a sample ballot go to the Board of Elections in the City of New York poll site finder tool
