Get Out And Vote On Election Day, Tuesday, November 7
Written by on November 4, 2023
Election Day 2023 is upon us! On Tuesday, November 7, New York voters will go to the polls to elect candidates to certain county and municipal offices. Also, two proposed amendments to the New York State Constitution will appear on the back of the ballot. One of those amendments relates to small city school district borrowing limits, while the other relates to borrowing for sewer facilities.
Because this is an odd-numbered year, elections to federal and state offices will not be held. In New York City, however, elections will be held in all 51 City Council districts. Several of those elections have been hotly contested. Currently, there are 45 Democratic councilmembers and six Republican councilmembers.
In Queens, Council District 19 is represented by Republican Vickie Paladino. Councilmember Paladino is known for her outspoken opposition to Drag Story Hours in schools. On the Democratic side, Councilmember Paladino is being challenged by former State Sen. Tony Avella; Paladino previously defeated him in her first election to the city council. Sen. Avella is not without controversy; while in the State Senate, he was a member of the group of dissident Democrats known as the Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC).
Due to redistricting, the election in Brooklyn’s Council District 47 will feature two incumbents. The newly-drawn District 47 contains portions of the existing District 43, represented by Democratic Councilmember Justin Brannan, and portions of the existing District 47, represented by Councilmember Ari Kagan. In recent months, Councilmember Kagan switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, contending that the Democratic Party no longer represented his values. Councilmember Kagan has also recently shifted his position on abortion in a pro-life direction.
Upstate there are contested races for county executive in Erie, Monroe and Suffolk counties to name a few. Additionally, there are many county legislative seats up for grabs. Multiple State Supreme Court judicial candidates are on the ballot as well.
There is likely to be poor turnout for Tuesday’s elections. In these situations, each vote carries more weight than it would in an election with higher levels of voter participation. It is important for Christians to vote our values on Tuesday. Please make it a priority to visit the polls.
