Queens Borough President Election Still On, But Some Want Changes

UPDATE: Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced that the special election is canceled.

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS — The March 24 special election for Queens borough president is set to continue as planned amid growing concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus, but some candidates are imploring officials to make last-minute changes — or delay the election altogether.

A day before the start of early voting, two of the race's six candidates asked officials to postpone the election to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of voters, while others called for an expanded absentee voting program.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously said they wouldn't make any changes to the election, which will determine who replaces former Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, now the borough's district attorney, for the next nine months.

City Council Member Donovan Richards asked the mayor and governor to postpone the special election "in the interest of the health and welfare of the citizens of our city," he said in a statement Friday morning, the day before polls open for early voting.

"Never before has holding an election itself been a direct threat to the health of voters," Richards said. "Voting itself during this crisis will surely risk voters and poll workers health alike."

Anthony Miranda, a former NYPD lieutenant, echoed Richards' concerns and suggested that the mayor issue an emergency executive order to postpone the election, though that decision ultimately falls to the governor. (Gov. George Pataki used his authority to indefinitely postpone state primary elections after the terroristic attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.)

In contrast, City Council Member Costa Constantinides and former City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley say the city's Board of Elections should institute a borough-wide absentee ballot program for the special election.

"We can keep our residents safe and maintain our democracy at the same time," Constantinides said.

A Board of Elections spokesperson didn't respond to Patch's requests for comment but told City & State that such a measure requires approval by the state legislature or an executive order from the governor — even though Erie County's Board of Elections this week unilaterally acted to add COVID-19 as a justification for absentee voting in the April presidential primaries.

City and state officials have already enacted measures like banning gatherings of more than 500 people and cutting restaurant and bar capacity in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

But they have so far declined to enact similar measures when it comes to the March 24 special election: Cuomo told NY1 on Wednesday that he was not considering making changes to the absentee voting process, and the city's Board of Elections commissioners said during a public meeting Tuesday that all scheduled elections will proceed.

De Blasio, for his part, asked campaigns to halt door-to-door canvassing and is encouraging Queens residents to vote early to avoid crowds.

"We are dealing with an unprecedented challenge, but I think it is a signature of a stable democracy that elections happen when scheduled," de Blasio said Thursday. "So, we very much want that election to happen on time so long as we believe it can happen effectively."

The city's Board of Elections said its staff will take precautions to ensure polling sites are "clean and safe," according to an advisory on the Campaign Finance Board's website, which urges voters to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer after touching surfaces like voting machines.

The board will also add glass screen protectors on ballot-reading devices, so poll workers can use bleach to clean them, and distribute hand sanitizer and wipes at polling places, Board of Elections executive director Michael Ryan said Tuesday.

Early voting for the special election starts Saturday and continues through Sunday, March 22. Absentee voters must request a ballot by March 17 to vote in the special election.

Voters may call 866-VOTE-NYC with any questions related to the election and voting.

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