It’s primary season, who’s ready to party?
Registered Democrats and Republicans can already cast their ballots in the June primary elections in New York City. Early voting is underway through Sunday, and polls will reopen for voting on Tuesday, June 25 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Not every voter will find those headline–grabbing congressional primary races on their ballot. In some parts of the city, there are no primary contests at all. But whether or not you have lawmakers on your ballot, you might have judges and other party positions up for grabs – and those lesser-known officials make key decisions affecting New Yorkers’ lives.
All those court and committee roles can be hard to follow, so we are doing the homework for you.
Here’s a developing list of what you need to know to head to the voting booth prepared.
Find out where and when to vote
Early voting runs through Sunday, June 23 with Primary Day on Tuesday, June 25. Visit the New York City Board of Elections poll site finder to track down your early voting and Primary Day poll sites. You can also check out your sample ballot before going out to vote to familiarize yourself.
The big picture
This year’s primary contests are for congressional, state legislative, judicial and party positions. Most of the races are between Democratic candidates — in fact, there’s only one Republican primary contest in the five boroughs, for an Assembly seat in Queens. And only four out of five boroughs will vote this time around. There are no primary contests on Staten Island.
Here’s a rundown of a few races you might not know were happening.
Surrogate court – Queens
This highly coveted, 14-year judge seat gives someone the power to decide what happens to people’s assets when they die, with or without a will. That means this court controls the flow of a lot of money. And it alters people’s lives in other ways, too, because the court also handles guardianships and adoptions.
The primary is between two sitting judges who are both Democrats, but represent different Queens communities.
Cassandra Johnson, who’s currently a State Supreme Court justice in Queens County, is running against Wendy Li, who is currently a civil court judge in Manhattan. She is Haitian American and earned her undergraduate and law degree from St. John’s University, according to her campaign website and the New York Courts judicial directory.
Li grew up in China and immigrated to the U.S. as a young adult to become a lawyer. She has degrees from Sichuan University, as well as Peking, Southern Methodist and Oxford Universities with a certificate in International Relations from Harvard, according to her campaign website and New York Courts judicial directory.
Democratic voters in Queens may already be familiar with Johnson and Li since they’ve both been campaigning aggressively through direct mail and other outreach.
Johnson, who grew up in a Haitian American family in Queens, is part of a slate of judicial candidates who have the backing of the Queens County Democratic Party and its chair, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks.
Li frames her campaign as another insurgent effort. When Li was first elected in 2018, she defeated a candidate who was backed by most Manhattan elected officials, The Queens Daily Eagle reported.
Civil court – Queens
There are two openings for Civil Court judges in Queens and four Democrats on the ballot. These judges serve 10-year terms and decide cases with damages up to $50,000, and in small claims court up to $10,000. They may also handle disputes between landlords and tenants in housing court. These judges also sometimes serve as Acting Supreme Court justices,
Those candidates are Sharifa M. Nasser-Cuellar, Glenda M. Hernandez, Julie M. Milner, Amish R. Doshi. Nasser-Cuellar and Doshi are the county party-backed candidates.
Civil court – Manhattan 2nd District
This is a Democratic primary for a judge who would fill a spot on Civil Court for Manhattan in the 2nd District, which includes the area around New York University over to the East River. The candidates are Alice Tam Tien and Harold Bahr.
Civil court – Brooklyn 6th District
This is a Democratic primary for a judge who would fill a spot on Civil Court for Brooklyn in the 6th District, which includes neighborhoods around Prospect Park and stretching south past Flatbush and Brooklyn College. The candidates are Janice Robinson and Kenneth Gayle.
Judicial delegate
Voters in parts of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx may see slates of candidates seeking nomination as judicial delegates. The winners of those primaries will participate in their respective counties’ judicial conventions in August to pick State Supreme Court Justice candidates.
State committee, County committee, District leader
These positions appear on some ballots in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. They are all unpaid, volunteer party positions that help set rules, priorities and pick candidates for other offices. Sometimes, politicians use them as a springboard to higher offices.