Early voting is well underway for the June 25 Primary Election here in New York. Here’s a guide of everything you need to know before you head to the polls!
This primary season is fairly quiet in Brooklyn — though there are congressional, state Assembly, and state Senate races on the ballot, primaries have been canceled in many districts where there’s only one candidate from each party. There are also races in some parts of Brooklyn for delegates to the Judicial Convention, State Committee, and Civil Court Judge.
How to vote
Early voting is already underway in New York City, and will continue through Sunday, June 23. The polls are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on June 21, and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on June 22 and 23. Head to the Board of Elections website to find your early voting site, and remember that early poll sites are often different from Election Day sites.
On the day of the primary, Tuesday June 25, polls will be open from 6 a.m.-9 pm. Find your polling place and a sample ballot to familiarize yourself with on the NYC BOE website.
Who’s on the ballot?
Congress
Primaries were canceled in three of four Congressional districts in Brooklyn — NY-7, 8, and 9.
NY-10
Incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents Congressional District 10, is facing challenges from fellow Democrats Bruno Grandssard and Evan Hutchinson.
First elected in 2022, Goldman is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who also served as lead counsel in the impeachment investigation of former U.S. president Donald Trump. The incumbent’s platform is largely built around protecting democracy, human rights, and safety.
Grandsard, who has a long career in private equity and investment firms, is campaigning on his promises to improve affordable housing, fight climate change, and reform broken Democratic processes with open primaries and instating ranked-choice voting.
The topline issue for Hutchinson, meanwhile, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel if elected. The candidate has long worked in politics and strategy, and is running on a platform of championing affordable housing, protecting abortion rights and LGBTQIA+ communities.
State Assembly
Four Assembly districts will see primary elections this season, with heated races in a few. All four districts will see Democratic primaries only, since each district has only one Republican candidate.
District 41
After 44 years in representing District 41 — which includes parts of East Flatbush, Sheepshead Bay, Flatlands, Midwood, and Canarsie — longtime incumbent Democrat Helen Weinstein announced this year that she would retire, leaving her seat up for grabs for the first time since 1980.
Immediately after Weinstein’s announcement, local Council Member Kalman Yeger announced he would run for her seat as a Democrat. Back in March, Yeger told Brooklyn Paper that the neighborhoods he would represent are “almost the same,” and that if elected, he would bring a strong focus on local constituent services. Yeger will also appear as the sole candidate on the Republican party line come November.
Yeger will face off against Adam Dweck, who had previously announced his intention to run against Weinstein. A former political staffer, Dweck says on his campaign website that he is most focused on “government accountability, fixing the MTA, and applying common sense solutions to the migrant crisis, bail reform, and congestion pricing.”
District 50
In Williamsburg and Greenpoint’s AD50, incumbent Democrat Emily Gallagher is facing a challenge in AD50 from Anathea Simpkins, a longtime Greenpoint resident and anti-violence educator.
In her re-election campaign, Gallagher, also a longtime north Brooklyn resident, has celebrated her legislative wins — like passing the All-Electric Buildings Act and the LLC Transparency Act, as well as keeping AD50 whole during the redistricting process.
Simpkins says she will focus “tackle the housing affordability crisis, improve healthcare, increase education funding, strengthen our economy, and protect our environment.”
District 52
In AD52, which includes parts of Downtown Brooklyn, Dumbo, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and Gowanus, private practice attorney and law professor Scott Budow is challenging incumbent Democrat Jo Anne Simon.
Simon, also a lawyer, has served in the Assembly since 2015, championing causes like gun violence prevention, campaign finance, and children’s education. The Assembly Member has also focused on repairing and protecting the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a hot-button issue in Brooklyn Heights.
For his campaign, Budow says on his website that he was inspired by New York City’s affordability and equity crises, and, if elected, would work to address disparities in healthcare and education while bringing down housing costs and raising minimum wage.
District 56
Last but not least is AD56, one of Brooklyn’s most-watched races this year. Democratic incumbent Stefani Zinerman, who was elected to represent Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights in 2020, is running against primary challenger Eon Tyrell Huntley, a consultant and retail brand manager.
Zinerman, who before being elected worked as a political staffer and program manager for nonprofits, says her primary focus is “provide resources and opportunities for the residents, nonprofits, and small businesses in her district.”
The incumbent said she worked to secure financial aid for New York City public schools, fund gun violence prevention, and helped to legalize marijuana and protect workers from wage theft. Zinerman has also voiced her support for preserving arts and culture in AD56.
Huntley, a longtime retail employee who grew up in NYCHA housing, says he supports boosting affordable housing and tenant protections, education equity and investing in public schools, universal healthcare, and supporting the MTA.
State Senate
There will be just one state Senate primary race in Brooklyn this year, a race between two Democrats in northern Brooklyn.
District 59
In SD59, which encompasses parts of Greenpoint and Williamsburg as well as Astoria, Long Island City, and a slice of Manhattan, incumbent Democrat Kristen Gonzalez is being challenged by Gus Lambropoulos.
Gonzalez, a former tech worker, took office in 2022. The incumbent says, if re-elected, she will continue to focus on funding public schools, speeding up the state’s climate goals, and supporting unions and union jobs, as well as passing tenant protections.
Lambropoulos, the son of Greek immigrants, is a former real estate broker and president of a property management and investment firm. The candidate has heavily emphasized his roots in business, and says he will continue to boost the local economy, support local businesses and build community.
