Jun. 9, 2023 By Julia Moro
Election Day is right around the corner, with polls opening for early voting on June 17 ahead of the June 27 primary.
There are some contentious democratic primary races to look out for in Queens.
Paul D. Graziano, Christopher S. Bae and Tony Avella are facing off for City Council District 19 and, in western Queens, Hallie Kim and Julie Won will be fighting for the District 26 seat.
Meanwhile, Steve Behar, Rubaiya Rahman and incumbent Linda Lee will battle it out for the District 23 seat.
But perhaps the biggest race to watch out for is for Queens district attorney, where incumbent Melinda Katz is looking to fend off challengers George Grasso and Devian Daniels.
Election Day is scheduled for June 27, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Find information on everything you need to know for the primary below:
Early voting
The early voting period starts June 17 and ends June 25.
Voters must vote at their assigned Early Voting Site. Visit the Poll Site locator to find your early voting or Election Day poll site.
Saturday, June 17: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, June 18: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, June 19: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, June 21: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday, June 22: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday, June 23: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, June 24: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, June 25: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How to vote by absentee?
To qualify for an absentee ballot, you must be:
- Absent from your county or absent from the five boroughs on Election Day.
- Unable to show up at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability.
- Unable to appear because you are the primary caregiver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled.
- A resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital.
- In jail or prison for any reason other than a felony conviction. This includes anyone who is awaiting grand jury action, awaiting trial, or serving a sentence for a misdemeanor.
Apply for an absentee ballot by visiting vote.nyc/absentee.
Applicants requesting to receive an absentee ballot by mail must be received by the board of elections in your county no later than fifteen days before the election. You may apply in person up to the day before an election.
When mailing your completed ballot, USPS recommends voters allow enough time for ballots to be returned to the board, which is generally seven days ahead of the general election.
Who’s on the ballot?
Democratic candidates:
City Council District 19: Paul D. Graziano, Christopher S. Bae, Tony Avella
City Council District 22: Tiffany L. Cabán, Charles A. Castro
City Council District 23: Steve Behar, Rubaiya Rahman, Linda Lee
City Council District 25: Ricardo Pacheco, Shekar Krishnan, Fatima Baryab
City Council District 26: Hallie Kim, Julie Won
City Council District 29: Sukhi Singh, Ethan Felder, Lynn C. Schulman
City Council District 34: Jennifer Gutierrez, Paperboy Love Prince
District Attorney: George A. Grasso, Devian S. Daniels, Melinda Katz
Judge of the Civil Court: Sandra Perez, Marianne Gonzalez
Judge of the Civil Court (6th Municipal Court District): Steven T. Beard, Evelyn Gong, John Ciafone
29th Assembly District Delegate to Judicial Convention (11 to be elected):
Group: Preston A. Baker, Jacqueline G. Boyce, Pamela A. Bluford, Jamal H. Wilkerson, Aaron K. Ambrose, Barbara A. Deyounge-Ezell, Michael L. Scotland, Melvin W. McDonald, Jacques R. Karteron, Barbara L. Jefferson, Margaret J. Denson
Group: Doris Gonzalez, Ronald Britt
33rd Assembly District Delegate to Judicial Convention (11 to be elected):
Group: Gregory W. Meeks, I. Daneek Miller, June B. Bunch, Roslin Spigner, Alma J. Cave, Michael L. Lambert, Leroy Manuel, Diane Lake, Wanda R. Manley, Darryl Smith, Samuel Murray
Group: Donnie Whitehead, Kervens Dorcely, Daniel Jarvis, Robert Williams, Safiya Whitehead, Oster Bryan, Warren Ros, Arnold McKinley
34th Assembly District Delegate to Judicial Convention (six to be elected):
Group: Andres Y. Vargas, Monica V. Valdes, Lucia V. Africano, Ellen Raffaele, Matthew E. DiStefano, Michael G. DenDekker
Group: John G. Scott, Shawna M. Morlock, Veronica Piedra Leon, Oscar H. Escobar, Stylianos Karolidis, Charles P. Handras
Group: Marilyn B. Rogers
40th Assembly District Delegate to Judicial Convention (four to be elected):
Group: John C. Liu, Alexander C. Hart, Charles M. Apelian, Martha Flores-Vazquez
Group: Rosannie Lopez, Jacqueline A. Lavalle
34th Assembly District Alternate Delegate to the Judicial Convention (six to be elected):
Group: Gary P. Gilbert, Maria C. Espinal-Cruz, Angela D. DenDekker, Robert J. Kobel, Lillian Kowalsky, Thomas D. Raffaele
Group: Andrew B. Sokolof, Angelina Espino Penafort, Fionnuala S. Kerins
Republican candidates:
City Council District 20: Dany Chen, You-Ching James Pai
County Committee 042/26 (two to be elected):
Group: Sandra Ly Wahrer, Michael C. Wahrer
Group: Carol Besserman
County Committee 036/27 (two to be elected):
Group: Brendan P. Ronan, Anton J. Schubert
Group: Andrew L. Rocco, Brock Weiner
County Committee 039/27 (two to be elected):
Group: Dawn Kafcos, Gregory Kafcos
Group: John C. Kyriakides
County Committee 042/27 (two to be elected):
Group: Frances M. Pepe, Stephan P. Hershenfeld
Group: Elisabeth J. Baione, Marcangelo O. Cotoia
County Committee 044/27 (two to be elected):
Group: Joan M. Lawless
Group: Emilio Polito, Angelo Polito
County Committee 010/30 (two to be elected):
Group: Kent Gomez
Group: Mark Ciavarella, Maureen Ciavarella
County Committee 034/31 (two to be elected)
Group: Vickram Manni, Anne Gimnl Maddalena
Group: Kamal R. Hubbard