Selvena Brooks-Powers is the winner of the special election for the 31st District City Council seat vacated by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards last year. The special election marks the first time a ranked-choice voting count was used to determine the winner of an election in New York City.
After leading the nine-candidate field with 38 percent of the vote on Election Day on Feb. 23, Brooks-Powers added to her lead during the absentee process and crossed the 50 percent threshold Thursday during the reallocation of votes under the ranked-choice voting system.
