The city’s first test of the new ranked-choice voting system may not be much of a test after all. James Gennaro, a former councilmember for the district who was term-limited out of office in 2013 after serving three terms, took a commanding 60 percent of the vote based on unofficial results released by the New York City Board of Elections on Tuesday night.
The second place finisher, Moumita Ahmed, won only 16 percent of the vote.
This special election in the 24th City Council district in Queens — which includes Jamaica Estates, Kew Garden Hills, Fresh Meadows and parts of Jamaica and Briarwood — was run using the city’s new ranked-choice voting system, which allows a voter to choose up to five candidates in order of preference. There were eight candidates on the ballot.
The winner needed to receive more than 50 percent of the vote. If that happened on the first tally, and there are not enough outstanding ballots to change those results, then additional rounds of counting are not needed.
While official results cannot be completely counted and certified until at least 13 days after the election (which is the last day military ballots can be received by the BOE in special and general elections) BOE officials said on Tuesday afternoon that there were only 2,000 absentee ballot applications processed for this special election, with 600 ballots returned so far.
Gennaro’s lead, with more than 3,300 hundred votes, makes it all but impossible for him to dip below the majority threshold. Still, in a statement issued on Tuesday night, he pledged to respect the counting process.
“I feel humbled that the early returns show that our campaign is likely to prevail in this election," Gennaro said. "I am of course compelled to respect the process of the counting of all the ballots. I eagerly await those final results."
Ahmed released her own statement just moments after the polls closed at 9 p.m., crediting her team for their organizing. “Together we have built a winning, diverse, working-class coalition ready to overcome the petty attacks from billionaire developers, ready to achieve housing and economic justice for Queens — and even ready to organize through and around 22 inches of snow.”
In the final days of the election, Ahmed was also targeted by thousands of dollars in negative campaign spending. An independent expenditure committee called Common Sense NYC sent out flyers to Queens voters that called Ahmed “reckless” and showed her hugging a Bernie Sanders doll. She was endorsed by the Vermont Senator and has also shown support for a movement to defund the police.
The group is funded by real estate mogul Stephen Ross. Common Sense has spent $95,000 to oppose Ahmed and $108,000 in support of Gennaro, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
“I was shocked in some ways that billionaire developers are spending thousands of dollars in a local election like this,” Ahmed said. She said the tactic backfired, and “mobilized people who are tired of these kinds of attacks on everyday, working class candidates.”
Gennaro did not respond to a request for comment about the independent expenditures. But he told the Daily News that while he had nothing to do with the mailer, he agreed with its message.
The candidate served as a councilman in this district from 2002 to 2013. He left to work as a Deputy Commissioner for the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. During his time, the district experienced a dramatic demographic shift. According to census data, the Asian population, which includes the Bangladeshi community that Ahmed is a part of, grew by 30% while the white population shrank 7%. Asians and Latinos now make up the majority of the district. Data from the Department of City Planning shows 46% of the population is foreign born.
The campaigning is not likely to stop anytime soon, as this race is still subject to the June primary (which will again be conducted with ranked-choice voting) and the November general election. Most of the candidates in the special election are expected to run again in that primary contest.
