Queens residents vote with their snow boots in NYC’s first ranked-choice election

/
The NYC Board of Elections won’t certify the results of the Council District 24 race for at least 13 more days. File photo by David Brand

The NYC Board of Elections won’t certify the results of the Council District 24 race for at least 13 more days. File photo by David Brand

By David Brand

On a day when getting out the vote meant clearing out the snow, campaign volunteer Andres Aguirre came prepared.

Aguirre, 20, stationed himself outside Jamaica’s P.S. 118 and urged voters to choose progressive organizer Moumita Ahmed while shoveling the sidewalk and clearing puddles from the curb cuts. He needed a second shovel when the first one broke, but the manual labor seemed to be paying off, he said.

“I’ve surprisingly seen a lot more people than I was expecting,” said Aguirre, a junior at Baruch College and a Briarwood resident. “I have spoken to 40 or 50 people. A lot of people coming out.”

Despite a blizzard that blanketed the borough with up to 20 inches of snow, motivated residents of Queens’ Council District 24 hit the polls to cast their ballots in New York City’s first test of ranked-choice voting Tuesday.

Eight candidates are running to replace Rory Lancman, who left office to take a job in the Cuomo Administration. The district includes Briarwood, Jamaica Hills, Kew Gardens Hills and the Pomonok Houses.

The Monday snowstorm raised concerns among candidates and constituents that voters — and poll workers — would be unable to make it to polling places in the district. Four of the eight candidates urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to postpone Election Day, but de Blasio said the election would continue as scheduled.

Election observers and people familiar with live voter totals said turnout was higher than expected as of 2:30 p.m.

A popular polling place at P.S. 164 in Kew Gardens Hills had a particularly high turnout compared to other sites in the district, they said.

Sorolle Idels, a leader in the local Orthodox Jewish community, said at least 100 people had cast their ballots while she stood outside the school between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Idels said she was not surprised by the relatively strong showing in a special election because her neighbors were motivated to vote.

“Our community is really trying to show strength in numbers,” she said. “I’ve been sending out videos and tweets nonstop. Not only me, but many of my counterparts.”

She said she counts several candidates as friends, but was backing James Gennaro as her top pick. Gennaro is running to reclaim the seat he held from 2001 to 2013. She said she ranked additional candidates but declined to describe her ballot order.

As Idels talked by phone, snow began falling once again. She could be heard thanking numerous voters as they left the polling place.

Dr. Neeta Jain, a Democratic district leader and psychologist, cast her ballot at P.S. 219 in Kew Gardens Hills, where she was accompanied by former Acting Borough President Sharon Lee. She planned to head to Thomas Edison High School in Jamaica Hills for one last push. 

“We know it's hard to travel because of the snow, so let us help you get there!” she tweeted, along with a phone number, Tuesday afternoon.

Just over 2,000 voters cast their ballots early, with more than half of the them visiting the polls Sunday. 

But the candidates — including Deepti Sharma, Soma Syed, Dilip Nath, Muhjib Rahman and Michael Earl Brown — will likely have to wait a while to find out who wins the first ranked-choice election in New York City history.

The Board of Elections has said that about 600 absentee ballots were returned as of Tuesday. The board sent out 1,400 other ballots to voters and are awaiting for those to be returned. 

Unofficial tallies will come out tonight, but the BOE won’t certify the final result for at least 13 days.