Special election for Queens Borough President set for June 23

All spring elections have been moved to June 23, including the special election for Queens borough president and Assembly District 31.. Eagle file photo by David Brand

By Victoria Merlino

The special election for Queens borough president will take place June 23, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.

The special election for the vacant seat in Assembly District 31 in Southeast Queens and the Democratic presidential primary will also occur on June 23, the same day as state primaries.

The special election for borough president had been scheduled for March 24, but Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled the race on March 15 — the second day of early voting — to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

The New York City Campaign Finance Board wrote a letter to de Blasio and Cuomo recommending that the special election replace the primary for borough president already scheduled for June 23 and that the city allow the winner to serve until the end of the current term in 2021. The NYCCFB also advocated for the city and state to allow all voters to cast absentee ballots.

On March 14, Cuomo announced that anyone in Queens could vote by absentee ballot in the borough president election, but it remains unclear if that applies to the June 23 contest, the NYCCFB said.

Assembly District 31, which encompasses Far Rockaway and South Ozone Park, will also have its election on June 23. The seat was vacated by Michele Titus, who was elected to the Civil Court bench in November 2019.