FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 27, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 21
Primary results
surpass aft er the morning rush, some voters
told QNS they did not know any of the
candidates or any of the reforms they are
running on.
One woman who identifi ed herself as
Orneata even expressed frustration that
there seemed to be no outreach from candidates
until the last minute, leaving her
with the only option of voting for a wellknown
politician.
“We need somebody who we know
about and has done work with the community.
I’m very concerned about the fact
that people are calling up and got on the
ballots and I don’t know anything about
them … You never see some of these people
unless there’s an election,” Orneata
said.
Another voter said the issues were not
guiding how he cast his own ballot, but
that he is an active participant in the system.
“I’m here for every election; it’s just part
of doing my civic duty,” he said. “As far
as district attorney goes, it’s about getting
someone with some experience.”
A clear choice in Astoria
Astoria is known as one of the most
progressive areas of western Queens;
P.S. 234 is located in the 36th Assembly
District, the only district in Queens to
support Cynthia Nixon over Governor
Andrew Cuomo in last year’s Democratic
gubernatorial primary.
With the exception of one resident who
voted for Mina Malik, every voter who
voluntarily disclosed their choice to QNS
said on Tuesday morning that they were
voting for public defender Tiff any Cabán.
Many voters at P.S. 234 said that they
considered Cabán to be the candidate
that best refl ected their values. Several
said that it was her canvassing eff orts that
brought her to their attention.
“Th is is the most publicized DA election
I’ve ever seen. And especially in this
neighborhood, Cabán canvassers were on
every corner. Th ey came to our apartment.
Th ere’s someone with a banner on
their balcony,” said Britney Wetzel.
Th ough there were no lines at P.S. 234,
a steady stream of voters came through
the poll site from 8 to 9 a.m. on their way
to work.
Voting near the court in Kew Gardens
Turnout was not exactly heavy at P.S.
99 in Kew Gardens — the closest polling
station to the Queens County Criminal
Courthouse, where the Queens district
attorney is based — as less than 200 had
cast their votes as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Although crowds were light, not even
any lines, the main driver of turnout as
expressed by voters was not specifi c issues
pertaining to the candidates themselves so
much as the simple fact they get to decide
on a Queens district attorney for the fi rst
time in 28 years.
Voters who spoke on the basis of anonymity
said they would like to see some
reforms while others put their vote toward
candidates they saw as opposing the
1.2-million-square-foot jail proposed for
Kew Gardens.
“I want to see change for district attorney’s
offi ce, it’s seldom we get an election
for that,” another voter said.
HOW QUEENS VOTED
/WWW.QNS.COM
