Results Unveiled For Brooklyn Primaries After Mail-In Count Delay
BROOKLYN, NY — The New York City Board of Elections has certified the results of the June 23 Democratic primaries after a chaotic six weeks spent counting an unprecedented number of absentee ballots cast amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The certified counts for each of the local, state and federal races were unveiled by the BOE Wednesday, finalizing winners in several close elections across New York City and confirming results for candidates who already held a strong lead before the mail-in ballot count.
More than 400,000 voters sent in absentee ballots during the June 23 primaries after an executive order allowing anyone to vote by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The soaring number of mail-in ballots caused a historic delay in the primary results, and a legal battle over ballots marked invalid because of postmarking problems. Party leaders estimate that 30,000 of the 120,000 absentee ballots filed in Brooklyn were disqualified because of a lack of postmarking and other mailing issues.
Some candidates have still not conceded their races because of the fight over invalidated ballots, despite the certified results.
A federal judge ruled Monday that absentee ballots missing postmarks must be counted, though that will only apply to those with postmarking issues, not those that were invalidated for other reasons.
Here are the certified results for the races in Brooklyn:
CONGRESSIONAL RACE
District 7
7,006 PAPERBOY LOVE PRINCE 1,492
Paperboy Prince, a rap star whose went viral due to their devotion to former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, challenged incumbent Nydia Velazquez, Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, and the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992.
Winner: Nydia Velazquez's 7,006 votes beat out Paperboy Prince's 1,492.
District 9
Incumbent Yvette Clarke faced challenges from Adem Bunkeddeko, Brooklyn Council member Chaim Deutsch, Flatbush business owner Lutchi Gayot and housing organizer and retired U.S. Army veteran Isiah James.
Result: Yvette Clarke earned 52,114 votes, beating out her long list of challengers. The closes challenger was Adem Bunkeddeko, who earned 23,564 votes.
ASSEMBLY RACE
District 43
Ousted Brooklyn state Senator Jesse Hamilton faced a take-no-prisoners fight from incumbent Assembly Member Diana Richardson, who likes to call the former lawmaker "Shamilton."
Winner: Diana Richardson's 14,427 votes beat out Jesse Hamilton's 4,849.
District 56
Community activist Justin Cohen and Stefani Zinerman, a community advocate and staffer for state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, both hoped to claim the seat left vacant by Tremaine Wright, currently running for state Senate.
Winner: Stefani Zinerman's 10,171 votes beat out Justin Cohen's 7,665
STATE SENATE RACE
District 25
Jabari Brisport, Jason Salmon and New York Assembly member Tremaine Wright hope to scoop up Sen. Velmanette Montgomery's seat when she retires.
Winner: Jabari Brisport, who declared victory as the absentee ballots were counted, earned 32,967 votes. Tremaine Wright had 20,009 and Jason Salmon, who dropped out shortly after Election Day, came in with 4,215.
This article originally appeared on the Brooklyn Patch
