Voting in Today's Special Elections Matters, Yet Few Will Likely Do It

Some New Yorkers head to the polls on Tuesday for special elections to fill a handful of empty legislative seats—nine in the Assembly and two in the Senate. And the balance of power in Albany hangs on today’s outcome, with the opportunity for the state Senate to flip to a 32-31 Democratic majority. 

Yet, if history is any guide, voter turnout could be very, very low. Which is a problem for a few reasons.

Citizens Union, the good government group, found that 29 percent of the entire state legislature was first elected in a special election. For New York City's delegation, that number is 33 percent. 

"The thing about that," WNYC's metro news editor, David Lewis, explains, "is that once you're elected, you're an incumbent. And you have all the advantages of incumbency. So you tend to serve for a very long time."

In addition, the special election process is largely controlled by the party machines. 

"Vacancies are filled by a party committee, not by the voters," Lewis says. "The candidates are selected by the party bosses. So if you increase turnout, at least you're sending a message to the party bosses that maybe you can mitigate their influence a little."

Polls close at 9 PM in all districts. For a statewide search of polling places, visit the New York State Board of Election site. To find a polling place in New York City, voters can also use the NYC Poll Site Locator. 

Lewis spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake. Hear their conversation above, and check below for a complete list of today's races. 

Senate races

Senate District 32 - The Bronx

• Luis Sepulveda (D)
• Patrick Delices (R)
• Pamela Stewart-Martinez (Reform)

Senate District 37 - Westchester

• Shelley Mayer (D)
• Julie Killian (R)

The state Senate races are under close watch today, as Democrats have the chance to take control of the chamber from Republicans for the first time in years. An eight-member breakaway Senate faction has recently rejoined the fold, putting Democrats just two seats away from cinching the numerical majority in the 63-seat chamber.

 Assembly races

Assembly District 5 - Suffolk County

• Deb Slinkosky (D)
• Doug Smith (R)

Assembly District 10 - Suffolk County

• Steve Stern (D)
• Janet Smitelli (R)

Assembly District 17 - Nassau County

• Matt Malin (D)
• John Mikulin (R)

Assembly District 39 - Queens

• Ari Espinal (D)

Assembly District 74 - Manhattan

• Harvey Epstein (D)
• Bryan Cooper (R)
• Adrienne Craig-Williams (Green)
• Juan Pagan (Reform)

Assembly District 80 - The Bronx

• Nathalia Fernandez (D)
• Gene Defrancis (R)

Assembly District 102 - Greene County

• Aidan O’Connor Jr. (D)
• Christopher Tague (R)
• Wesley Laraway (Reform)

Assembly District 107 - Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia

• Cynthia Doran (D)
• Jacob Ashby (R)

Assembly District 142 - Buffalo

• Patrick Burke (D)
• Erik Cohen (R)

Nine seats are up for grabs in the heavily Democratic assembly. Five were Republican seats and four were Democrats—including all three in New York City, which opened up when Mark Gjonaj and Francisco Moya, from the Bronx and Queens, joined the City Council, and Brian Kavanagh, whose district covers Manhattan and Brooklyn, moved to the Senate. Three races on Long Island could be more competitive.