Crown Heights Special Election This Week: What To Know

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Election Day is here in Crown Heights.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide who will replace Assembly Member Diana Richardson, who left her 43rd District seat to become the deputy borough president under newly-elected Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

On the ballot, voters will find Democratic pick Brian Cunningham and Jelanie DeShong, who is running under the Working Families Party after losing the Brooklyn Democratic Party's nomination.

The Election Day votes — cast between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. — will add to those cast during an early voting period that ended on Sunday.

The 43rd District is one of several special elections this year, including another assembly election in East New York's 60th District earlier this month. The East New York race also saw a battle between a Democratic nominee and a Working Families Party candidate amid tensionssurrounding the Brooklyn Democratic Party's nomination process.

Here's what you need to know about the Crown Heights race:

Where and when do I vote?

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. across the 43rd District includes parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Garden, East Flatbush and Wingate.

Use this poll locator to find your voting site.

Who is running?

Brian Cunningham

• Background: Now a leader in the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Cunningham has served as a senior aide for state Sen. Kevin Parker, chief of staff under former Council Member Laurie Cumbo and ran for office in the 40th City Council District in 2017, according to his website and reports.
• Learn more about him here.

Jelanie DeShong

• Background: Most recently an Assistant Secretary of Intergovernmental Affairs for Gov. Kathy Hochul, DeShong has also served as Director of Government Relations at a State University of New York,as an advisor under Hochul during her time as lieutenant governor, an aide to former Brooklyn Council Member David Greenfield and as an intern for then-Council Member Jumaane Williams, according to his website.
• Learn more about him here.