Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Acknowledgements
III. Evaluated Races for State Legislature
IV. Voting and Registration Information
Welcome to the Citizens Union 2016 Primary Election Voters Directory online!
This Tuesday, September 13th, New Yorkers will vote in the state primary to select party candidates for State Senate and Assembly.
To help our Citizens Union members prepare to vote in the upcoming primary election, we bring you our 2016 Primary Election Voters Directory. The Voters Directory provides:
- An overview of the 2016 elections, including voting and registration information and listings of every contest for all races that will be on the ballot in New York City on September 13th, 2016.
- A roster of Citizens Union’s preferred candidates in several key districts, and information about the rigorous evaluation process and assessments of candidates.
- A report on incumbents running uncontested for seats in the NYS Legislature.
- A report on special elections and open seats.
Please also note that this directory does not contain candidates for Delegate to the Judicial Convention, district leaders, or committee positions. To obtain this information, visit the NYC Board of Elections website at http://vote.nyc.ny.us or call (866) VOTE-NYC.
To learn more about our evaluation principles and process click here.
Our past preference and endorsement decisions are also available.
Have questions about voting and registration? Find information here.
Find your district and polling place.
This Voters Directory would not be possible without the hard work of members of the Citizens Union Board of Directors, Local Candidates Committee (LCC), staff and our summer interns.
42 Volunteer LCC members, 7 interns, and 6 staff members formed nonpartisan interview teams and evaluated 35 candidates in 15 races for State Senate and Assembly races. We also secured the answers to our questionnaire from many more candidates. We thank them for contributing their time, energy, expertise and commitment this summer to interviewing and evaluating candidates.
EVALUATED RACES FOR STATE LEGISLATURE – NEW YORK CITY
CITIZENS UNION CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE AND RESPONSES
Bronx Democratic Primaries – Senate
Senate District 33 – Gustavo Rivera (incumbent) preferred
Senate District 36 – Jamaal Bailey preferred
Bronx Democratic Primaries – Assembly
Assembly District 84 – No preference given
Assembly District 87 – Luis Sepúlveda (incumbent) preferred
Brooklyn Democratic Primaries – Senate
Senate District 19 – No preference given
Brooklyn Democratic Primaries – Assembly
Assembly District 44 – Robert Carroll preferred
Assembly District 46 – No preference given
Assembly District 56 – Tremaine Wright preferred
Manhattan Democratic Primaries – Senate
Senate District 31 – Micah Lasher preferred
Manhattan Democratic Primaries – Assembly
Assembly District 65 – Jenifer Rajkumar preferred
Assembly District 72 – Guillermo Linares (incumbent) preferred
Queens Democratic Primaries – Senate
Senate District 10 – James Sanders, Jr. (incumbent) preferred
Senate District 16 – No preference given
Queens Democratic Primaries – Assembly
Assembly District 33 – Nantasha Williams preferred
Staten Island Republican Primary – Assembly
Assembly District 62 – Janine Materna preferred
VOTING AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION
REGISTERING TO VOTE
You are eligible to vote in municipal, federal and state elections if you are:
- 18 years of age (on the date of the election. You can register at 17 if you will be 18 before the election – Send your voter registration card in the year you turn 18 and it will be filed on your 18th birthday);
- United States citizen; AND
- Registered to vote 25 days before the election.
To vote in a party primary:
- You must be a registered member of that party.
- You cannot change your party registration to vote in a primary during that same year.
- Party registration changes must be filed 25 days before the previous year’s General Election.
APPLYING FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION
You may vote by absentee ballot if you are:
- absent from New York City (or your county, if you live outside of New York City) on Election Day;
- ill or disabled, or serve as primary caregiver for an ill or disabled individual;
- a patient or inmate in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital; OR
- detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or are confined in prison for an offense other than a felony.
Deadlines for absentee ballot applications and submissions are as follows:
- Mail your Absentee Ballot Application or Letter of Application by Saturday, September 6th.
- Apply for an Absentee Ballot in Person at your local county board of elections office by Monday, September 12th.
- Mail in your Absentee Ballot with a postmark by Monday, September 12th – it also must be received by the local board of elections no later than September 20th.
- Drop off your Absentee Ballot by Tuesday, September 13th to your local board of elections office – a friend or relative can drop it off.
TO OBTAIN A VOTER REGISTRATION FORM OR ABSENTEE BALLOT:
Go in person to your local county Board of Elections office;
- Call the Board of Elections at 866.VOTE-NYC; OR
- Visit the Board of Elections website at http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/html/voters/voters.shtml
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, September 13th. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you have general questions regarding eligibility or the location of your polling place, please call 1-866-VOTE-NYC. You can also locate your polling place online, including handicap entrances, at https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search
Under federal law, if you are disabled and choose to vote in person rather than by absentee ballot, you are entitled to assistance. You can rely on the election employees for help.
At the polls, if you are not on the voter registration list, it may be because your registration form was not received in time or was filled out incorrectly. If you believe that you are eligible to vote, you can still vote by requesting an affidavit ballot. After the election, the Board of Elections will check its records and your vote will be counted if you are indeed eligible.
CASTING YOUR BALLOT
Paper ballots will be used for casting votes, which can be marked using either a pen or a ballot marking device (BMD) as described below. Ballots are counted after they are inserted into an electronic scanner. The scanner will then be used to count the votes after the polling place has closed at the end of Election Day. A bin attached to the scanner will capture and keep the paper ballots as a record of all votes. This new process began in 2010 with New York’s adoption of a new voting system to meet federal accessibility requirements.
The new process works as follows:
- Enter the poll site, sign in, and receive your paper ballot from the poll worker.
- Mark your ballot through one of two means:
- Go to a privacy booth and fill out your ballot with a pen by marking the appropriate ovals; or
- Use a Ballot Marking Device (BMD), which is available for those who are in need of assistance (see below for more information).
- Once done, place your ballot in the privacy sleeve, proceed to the scanner area, and insert the marked ballot into the scanner to cast your vote. You ballot can be inserted in any direction.
- If you make a mistake you can request a new ballot. If you mark your ballot incorrectly by marking more choices for one contest than you are supposed to, the scanner will notify you of an “overvote.” To have your vote count, you must obtain a new ballot and mark your choices correctly before submitting your ballot.
LINKS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
CANDIDATES AND ISSUES
INCUMBENT RECORDS