Voter turnout at the General Election, held on Tuesday, November 8th, was high, as local voters cast their ballots, electing the first female Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul. Several incumbents were reelected, and four ballot proposals were overwhelmingly approved.
Hochul beat Republican contender, Congressman Lee Zeldin, in a tighter race than expected, grabbing 52.6% of the vote versus Zeldin’s 47.4%. Hochul, who served as Lieutenant Governor for six years, assumed office in August 2021 after Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned amid a sexual misconduct investigation. Antonio Delgado will continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor.
Democrat Letitia James was reelected as Attorney General of New York, and Democrat Thomas DiNapoli was reelected as New York State Comptroller.
Locally, State Senator Roxanne Persaud (Senate District 19) and Assemblywoman Jaime Williams (Assembly District 59), both Democrats, were reelected. Both ran uncontested.
In Assembly District 58, which covers the eastern section of Canarsie, Democrat Monique-Chandler Waterman was reelected to the assembly seat, winning almost 95% of the vote, defeating Republican/Conservative Monique Allen-Davy. Chandler-Waterman assumed office in a Special Election in May 2022, after the seat was vacated by long-term Assemblyman Nick Perry.
Incumbent Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (District 8) beat Yuri Dashevsky, who ran on the Republican/Conservative ballot. Jeffries, a Democrat, won over 72% of the vote.
A nine-day Early Voting period ran from Saturday, October 29th through Sunday, November 6th.
Voter turnout at I.S. 68 Isaac Bildersee in Canarsie was steady and increased during the final weekend, especially on Sunday during the final hours. In total, 3,816 voters cast their ballots at the local middle school over the nine-day period. The process was fairly smooth, but there were some technical difficulties on the first day of voting, when the school lost power and the ballot stations were unable to print ballots for about one hour.
Voters approved one State proposal, the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, at a price tag of up to $4.2 billion to fund resiliency and clean energy projects.
Three City proposals were also approved; the first will add a “Statement of Values to Guide Government” and add a preamble to the City Charter promoting a “just and equitable city for all.” The next proposal will establish a Racial Equity Office, that would update plans every two years, to improve racial equity and reduce disparities. The third proposal would amend the City Charter to measure the “true cost of living.”