BOE begins absentee ballot count in
Queens with several races on the line
3
QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 12, 2020
Longtime Flushing resident Sandra Ung declared her
candidacy for the 20th City Council District.
Photo courtesy of Sandra Ung
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Longtime Flushing resident
Sandra Ung is looking
to become the first Asian-
American woman to represent
Flushing in the City
Council.
Ung, who is currently
serving as a special assistant
to Congresswoman
Grace Meng, launched
her campaign for the 20th
Council District in a video
released on Monday.
“I am excited today to
announce my candidacy for
the New York City Council. I
want to spend the next year
talking with my neighbors,
hearing their concerns and
creating a campaign that is
responsive to the needs of
this community,” Ung said.
“Our district needs better
services for our diverse
seniors, and our small
businesses need direct assistance
as they prepare
to reopen. I will work specifically
to assist the silent
survivors of domestic violence
— an issue that has
spiked during the COVID-
19 pandemic.”
The 20th Council District,
which includes downtown
Flushing, Murray
Hill and Queensboro, is
currently represented by
Councilman Peter Koo,
who Ung described as a
“stalwart leader” in the
community.
Koo was elected to the
Council in 2009. At the end
of 2021, he will vacate the
seat, as term limits prevent
him from running for reelection.
After serving the Flushing
community with distinction
for the past 15
years, Ung is vowing to
represent all in the City
Council.
She is a lawyer, public
servant and a community
advocate on issues that impact
women, survivors of
domestic violence, youth
and the environment.
Born in Cambodia and
raised in Taiwan, Ung immigrated
to New York City
with her parents when she
was just 7 years old and has
resided in Flushing since
she was 10.
Ung attended P.S. 22,
J.H.S. 189, Flushing High
School and Hunter College,
and then received her law
degree from Columbia Law
School in 2001.
After graduating from
Columbia University, Ung
worked with Sanctuary for
Families, a nonprofit that
provides free services to
those facing domestic violence.
She has worked as
a staff member in the New
York State Assembly, and
has served in the office of
multiple New York City
Comptrollers.
For the last eight years,
Ung has been a vital piece
of the constituent service
and community outreach
operation at the office of
Congresswoman Grace
Meng.
The New York City Board of Elections began counting absentee ballots in Queens on July 8, 2020. Photo by Dean Moses
BY JACOB KAYE
New York City Board of
Elections workers began
counting absentee ballots
from last month’s Democratic
primary election
inside the Helen Marshall
Center in Queens Borough
Hall on Wednesday, July 8.
The performance and
entertainment space in
Queens Borough Hall was
transformed this week
into a makeshift ballot
counting operation, replete
with social distancing
measures aimed to keep
the dozens of ballot counters
safe from the threat
of COVID-19. With nearly
90,000 ballots to count,
final election results are
likely days away.
According to the Board
of Elections, around 50
percent of the 175,863 absentee
ballots requested in
Queens were returned in
time to be counted.
In some state Assembly
races, like the District 36
race between incumbent
Aravella Simotas and challenger
Zohran Mamdani,
there are nearly 10,000
votes still to be counted.
In other races, like in
District 39, where incumbent
Catalina Cruz holds
a commanding lead over
her challenger, there are
less than 3,000 votes left to
count.
The race for Queens
borough president was one
of the most notable races
on the ballot last month.
While Councilman Donovan
Richards currently
leads the contest with
about 37 percent of the vote
— a 10-point lead over his
closest challenger, Elizabeth
Crowley — the results
from the race won’t likely
be known until the last
day of counting.
There are a handful
of other close races that
could change drastically
after the absentee ballots
are all accounted for.
In the 12th Congressional
District, Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney
holds a narrow lead over
challenger Suraj Patel after
June’s in-person voting.
The incumbent received a
little over 41 percent of the
vote, while Patel received
nearly 40 percent of the
votes counted. With 9,713
votes left to count, Maloney’s
lead could begin to
dissipate.
In the 31st Assembly
District, Khaleel Anderson
holds a slim lead over
his five opponents. Anderson
received 38 percent of
the vote; Richard David
received nearly 28 percent;
Lisa George garnered 18
percent of the votes; Shea
Uzoigwe got 7 percent
of the vote; and Derrick
Deflorimonte and Tavie
Blakley received less than
5 percent of the vote each.
In one of the closest races
in the borough, Mamdani
holds about a 600 vote
lead over Simotas in Assembly
District 36. With
nearly 10,000 votes left to
count, the outcome of the
race is far from decided.
In Queens, votes will be
counted from 9 a.m. until 7
p.m. on weekdays and from
9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the
weekends. Wednesday’s
count began with Assembly
Districts 23, 24 and 25.
Additional reporting by
Dean Moses.
Flushing resident
announces bid for
City Council seat