Polls have closed on Election Day in Queens.
Polling places across Queens were open one last time on Nov. 3 from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. Although over 250,000 voters in Queens cast their ballot early – accounting for about 22 percent of all the early votes cast in New York City – the results of both national and local races will likely be unknown for some time.
While a final picture was not clear as Election Day came to a close Tuesday night, QNS has you covered with all of the early results and Election Day coverage.
No lines, long lines and party lines
Some polling places across Queens Tuesday morning appeared to be in strong contrast to the lines seen throughout the 9 days of early voting.
At P.S. 150 in Sunnyside, there wasn’t much of a wait to cast a ballot. With a small line forming occasionally outside, voters assigned to the polling place made their way in and out with little time wasted.
One resident said she had attempted to vote during the early voting period but was deterred by the long lines and gloomy weather.
“I went to the early voting at LaGuardia [Community College], the line was horrendous, it was raining, so I stood there like an hour and I said, you know what, this is better for me,” said Carmen Giocuria, who was casting her vote in-person on Tuesday. “I live across the street, I changed my mind. I thought I would hit two birds with one stone when I went to the gym and then to go vote but the line was horrendous last Tuesday.”
It took Giocuria 10 minutes to cast her vote on Nov. 3.
Just down the block, at Queen of Angel’s Parish Center in Sunnyside, the lines were a little longer.
Voters waited up to 40 minutes to cast their ballots, including Clara Demedinaceli, who brought a chair to the polling site.
“I did get the mail-in ballot, I didn’t send it in though,” Demedinaceli said. “I looked up my early polling site, but the lines were so long that couldn’t so I decided to come today and brought a chair. Just in case. The line wasn’t long because it moved fast.”
Long lines on #ElectionDay here at the Queen of Angels Parish Center in #sunnyside #Queens #vote #news pic.twitter.com/cHvJ8VE5i1
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) November 3, 2020
Ian Rees, a voter in Forest Hills, was in and out of his polling site at P.S. 196 in minutes.
“I left my apartment at 11:30 a.m. and was back home right around noon,” Rees said, adding that he was glad to both vote in what he feels is an important election and to have gotten a new sticker for his laptop.
In Astoria, voter Maria Victoria Salazar found that her polling site at P.S. 166, where she has voted for the past 10 years, was quieter than past elections.
“Last presidential election, I waited on line for about 30 mins or so,” Salazar said. “This time, there was no line at all and it took me perhaps 2 minutes to get my ballot and another 3 minutes or so to vote and put my ballot through the machine.”
In addition to the presidential race, the Queens borough president race and a slew of other local races, the future of the Working Families Party is also on the ballot this year.
A new state law requires independent parties receive 2 percent of the vote in order to have a ballot line in the following election.
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who voted early, was at Queen of Angel’s Parish Center to encourage his neighbors to vote on the Working Families Party line.
“It’s incredibly important, not only for people to vote but as you know we are out here encouraging people to vote on the Working Families Party line because this is an area that will overwhelmingly support Biden over Trump,” Van Bramer said. “The Working Families Party is the progressive party in New York state and they need to collect a certain amount of votes on this line so it is really important because many of the voters on the line are Democrats and progressives and will want to both vote Biden/Harris but also support the Working Families Party line.”
Voter Julia Forman agreed with the councilman.
“For me it’s important to be out for the Working Families Party, it’s the line that I’ve always voted on because I know it sends that message up to Albany that we need to keep fighting for the policies that actually matter to people,” Forman said. “If I’m going to be out for anyone, obviously I’m out for Biden, but I want it to be under Working Families Party.”
The mayor comes to Queens
Mayor Bill de Blasio stopped by a South Ozone Park polling site Tuesday afternoon to meet voters and poll workers. Handing out donuts, de Blasio said the polling site at J.H.S. 266 was a shining example for the rest of the city.
“This is a good example, what we are seeing here at this poll site. A lot of energy, a lot of activity,” hizzoner said. “It’s also further proof that early voting, just as we hoped, has taken a lot of pressure off Election Day. It’s made Election Day go more smoothly. This is really good to see, even though we know there is an evening rush coming. What we are seeing today is very, very encouraging.”
The mayor also took time to remind voters that as long as they are in line by 9 p.m., when the polls close, they can still cast their ballots.
“Anyone in line, they have to accommodate, if you are in line by 9 p.m. no matter how long it goes,” he said.
Early results
In addition to the presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, a handful of other races also appeared on the ballot in Queens. Here is a full list of every candidate running for office in the borough, with early results as of Wednesday morning, Nov. 4.
Queens borough president
While the borough may not know definitively who the next Queens borough president is for days or weeks, City Councilman Donovan Richards held an early lead in the race Tuesday evening.
Richards, a Democrat from southeast Queens, received about 67 percent of the vote, or about 380,449 votes as of Wednesday morning, Nov. 4, with around 96 percent of scanners reported. His Republican opponent, Joann Ariola, had 173,056 votes and third party candidate Dao Yin held 11,696 votes.
Richards beat out four challengers to win the Democratic primary for Queens borough president in June and has served in the City Council since 2013.
Running on the Republican, Conservative and Save Our City party lines, Ariola is the chairwoman of the Queens County Republican Party.
Third Congressional District
Incumbent Tom Suozzi leads the race against Howard Rabin (Libertarian) and George Devolder-Santos (Republican) with more than 54 percent of the vote, with nearly 96 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Devolder-Santos is trailing Suozzi with more than 45 percent of the vote, followed by Rabin.
Suozzi was first elected to Congress in 2016. He beat out a Republican challenger in 2018, earning 59 percent of the vote. Rabin is running against Suozzi on the Libertarian party line. This is his first bid for public office. Devolder-Santos is challenging Suozzi on the Republican and Conservative party line. This is his first bid for public office.
Fifth Congressional District
Incumbent Gregory Meeks (Democrat) is running unopposed and has garnered 99 percent of the vote with 97 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. He’s held his seat in southeast Queens since 1998. Meeks also serves as the chairman of the Queens Democratic Party.
Sixth Congressional District
Incumbent Grace Meng (Democrat) is leading Thomas Zmich (Republican), having recorded nearly 63 percent of the vote with 97 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Meng is vying for her fifth term in Congress. She is the first and only legislator of Asian descent to represent New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. She won 90 percent of the vote in 2018.
Seventh Congressional District
Incumbent Nydia Velazquez (Democrat) is leading Brian Kelly (Republican) and Gilbert Midonnet (Libertarian) with nearly 83 percent of the vote and 98 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Velazquez is a longtime congresswoman, having served in the legislative body since 1993. Kelly previously ran for City Council in 2017, state Senate in 2010 and 2016 and State Assembly in 2014. He has never won a general election. Midonnet is a software developer from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
Eighth Congressional District
Incumbent Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat) is leading Garfield Wallace (Republican), having recorded nearly 83 percent of the vote with 94 percent precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Jeffries has served in Congress since 2013. Jeffries won over 94 percent of the vote in 2018.
12th Congressional District
Longtime Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (Democratic) is leading Carlos Santiago-Cano (Republican) and Steven Kolln (Libertarian) with nearly 79 percent of the vote, with 98 percent of the precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Maloney faced a tough challenge during June’s Democratic primaries, eking out a victory over three progressive challengers. One of the top Democrats in Congress, Maloney has served in the body since 1993.
14th Congressional District
Incumbent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat) is leading John Cummings (Republican) and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (SAM), having recorded nearly 69 percent of the vote with 99 percent precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Cummings trails with more than 30 percent of the vote. Progressive star Ocasio-Cortez, who shocked the Queens Democratic party by defeating its leader in 2018, aims to win her second general election. This is Cummings’ first time running for public office.
10th State Senate District
Incumbent James Sanders Jr. (Democrat) is running unopposed and has recorded 99 percent of the vote, with 98 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Sanders has served in the state Senate since 2013 after previously serving in the New York City Council.
11th State Senate District
Incumbent John Liu (Democrat) is leading Elisa Nahoum (Republican) with nearly 58 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning., with 98 percent of precincts reported. Liu is seeking his second term in the New York State Senate. Liu previously served as the city’s comptroller and as a councilman. Nahoum, who has been endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association, is running for public office for the first time.
12th State Senate District
Incumbent Michael Gianaris (Democrat) is running unopposed and has 99 percent of the votes with 93 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Gianaris was first elected to the state Senate in 2010 and currently serves as the deputy majority leader.
13th State Senate District
Incumbent Jessica Ramos (Democrat) is leading Jesus Gonzalez (Republican), having recorded more than 76 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of precincts recorded as of Wednesday morning. Ramos is seeking her second term in office. She was elected to the state Senate in 2018 as part of the progressive wave that disbanded the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of Democrats in the state Senate who voted with Republicans. Gonzalez ran for the seat in 2016, winning 13 percent of the vote.
14th State Senate District
Incumbent Leroy Comrie Jr. (Democrat) is running unopposed and has recorded 99 percent of the vote, with 98 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Comrie has served in the state Senate since 2015.
15th State Senate District
Incumbent Joseph Addabbo Jr. (Democrat) is leading Thomas Sullivan (Republican), having recorded nearly 54 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 99 percent of precincts reported. Addabbo has served in the state Senate since 2009. He formerly served as a New York City councilman. Sullivan ran against Addabbo in 2018, winning nearly 36 percent of the vote.
16th State Senate District
Incumbent Toby Ann Stavisky (Democrat) is running unopposed and has secured nearly 99 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Stavisky has served in the state Senate since 1999.
23rd Assembly District
Incumbent Stacey Pheffer Amato (Democrat) is leading Peter Hatzipetros (Republican) with more than 58 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 99 percent of precincts reported. Pheffer Amato is seeking her third term in the state Assembly. She was first elected in 2016. A Howard Beach native, Hatzipetros is running for public office for the first time.
24th Assembly District
Incumbent David Weprin (Democrat) is running unopposed and has recorded 99 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Weprin has served in the state Assembly since 2010. He previously served in the New York City Council.
25th Assembly District
Incumbent Nily Rozic (Democrat) is running unopposed and has secured nearly 99 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Rozic has served in the state Assembly since 2012.
26th Assembly District
Edward Braunstein (Democrat) is trailing John-Alexander Sakelos (Republican, Conservative and Save Our City) with nearly 97 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Sakelos leads with 52.36 percent of the vote, with Braunstein close behind at 47.57 percent. Braunstein has represented northeast Queens since 2011. He won 65 percent of the vote against a Republican challenger in 2018. This is Sakelos’ first bid for public office.
27th Assembly District
Incumbent Daniel Rosenthal (Democrat) is running unopposed and has approximately 99 percent of the vote, with 92 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Rosenthal was first elected to the state Assembly in 2017.
28th Assembly District
Incumbent Andrew Hevesi (Democrat) is leading Danniel S. Maio (COVID19 Stories), having secured more than 83 percent of the vote, with 97 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Hevesi was first elected to the Assembly in 2005.
29th Assembly District
Incumbent Alicia Hyndman (Democrat) is running unopposed and has 99 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Hyndman has represented her southeast Queens district in the Assembly since 2015.
30th Assembly District
Incumbent Brian Barnwell (Democrat) is running unopposed and has nearly 99 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 99 percent of precincts reported. Barnwell was first elected to the Assembly in 2016.
31st Assembly District
Khaleel Anderson (Democrat) is leading Joseph Cullina (Republican), having secured more than 88 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Anderson is aiming to become the youngest Assembly member in the legislative body. The 24-year-old activist from Far Rockaway won a crowded Democratic primary over the summer to fill former Assemblywoman Michelle Titus’ seat. This is Cullina’s first bid for public office.
32nd Assembly District
Incumbent Vivian Cook (Democrat) is running unopposed and has 99 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with nearly 96 percent of precincts reported. The longtime legislator has been in the Assembly since 1991.
33rd Assembly District
Incumbent Clyde Vanel (Democrat) is running unopposed and has secured 99 percent of the vote, with 97 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Vanel is seeking his second term in the Assembly, having first been elected first in 2016.
34th Assembly District
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas (Democrat) is leading William Marquez (Republican, Conservative) with nearly 76 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 99 percent of precincts reported. Gonzalez-Rojas beat out incumbent Michael DenDekker and three other challengers in the Democratic primary over the summer. Both Gonzalez-Rojas and Marquez are are running for public office for the first time.
35th Assembly District
Incumbent Jeffrion Aubry (Democrat) is leading Han-Kohn To (Conservative), having recorded nearly 76 percent of the vote, with almost 93 percent of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning. Aubry first assumed office in the Assembly in 1992. He beat out convicted felon and former state Senator Hiram Monserrate in the Democratic primary race over the summer. This is To’s first run for public office.
36th Assembly District
Zohran Kwame Mamdani (Democrat) is running unopposed and has more than 98 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 99 percent of precincts reported. Mamdani beat out incumbent Aravella Simotas during June’s Democratic primary. The Democratic Socialist is seeking his first seat in public office.
37th Assembly District
Catherine Nolan (Democrat) is running unopposed and has secured nearly 99 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 99 percent of precincts reported. Nolan beat two challengers in the Democratic primary earlier this year.
38th Assembly District
Jenifer Rajkumar (Democrat) is leading Giovanni Perna (Republican) as of Wednesday morning, with more than 70 percent of the vote and 99 percent of precincts reported. Rajkumar ousted Assemblyman Mike Miller during June’s Democratic primaries. Both candidates are seeking their first seat in public office.
39th Assembly District
Incumbent Catalina Cruz (Democrat) is running unopposed and has 99 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 95 percent of precincts reported. Cruz, who was elected to the Assembly in 2018, is seeking her second term in office.
40th Assembly District
Incumbent Ron Kim (Democrat) is leading Steven Lee (Justice & Peace) with more than 82 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 95 percent of precincts reported. Kim was first elected to the assembly in 2012.
This story was updated at 7:05 a.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020.
