Polls close for congressional, State Senate primaries on Long Island

Long Islanders went to the polls Tuesday to vote for their parties’ nominees in several congressional and State Senate races.

The polls closed at 9 p.m.

At the Silas Wood Sixth Grade Center polling site in Huntington Station, Republican voters were picking a congressional replacement to nominate because the GOP incumbent, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), is running for governor.

"We're not happy with the way things are going, and I want change. I want to go back to the way things were, even 40 to 50 years ago when there was more respect,” said Brian Dwyer, 63, of Huntington Station, who was voting along with his wife.

Another voter, fellow Republican Diane Peterson, 70, said: "I'm voting to get the right Republicans in office."

Neither would say whom they voted for.

Voter registration and poll location information can be found via the state’s portal: https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/.

Early voting ended Sunday.

The state’s online portal also allows voters to track an absentee ballot if they chose to vote by mail. An absentee ballot must be postmarked no later than Tuesday or be delivered to the county Board of Elections or a poll site by 9 p.m.

Beginning this year, a voter who has received an absentee ballot won’t be able to cast a traditional vote at the polling site. Instead, the voter may complete an affidavit paper ballot at the polling site. After the election, officials will determine whether the absentee ballot had been received by the deadline. If so, the absentee ballot will be the operable vote. If the absentee ballot hadn’t been received, then the affidavit ballot will be counted. The change is the result of a new law.

In New York, only enrolled members of a party may vote in that party’s primary. Candidates chosen in the primaries will be their party’s nominee in the general election on Nov. 8.

The races in Suffolk County:

• 1st Congressional District — Republican primary between Anthony M. Figliola, Nicholas J. LaLota and Michelle Bond.
• 2nd Congressional District — Republican primary between Andrew R. Garbarino, the incumbent; Robert Cornicelli and Mike Rakebrandt.
• 4th State Senate District — Democratic primary between Monica R. Martinez and Philip R. Ramos.

The races in Nassau County:

• 2nd Congressional District — Republican primary between Garbarino, Cornicelli and Rakebrandt. The district includes parts of both counties.
• 3rd Congressional District — Democratic primary between Jon Kaiman, Robert P. Zimmerman, Joshua Alexander Lafazan, Reema Rasool and Melanie D’Arrigo.
• 4th Congressional District — Democratic primary between Keith M. Corbett, Laura A. Gillen, Muzibul Huq and Carrié Solages.
• 7th State Senate District — Democratic primary between incumbent Anna M. Kaplan and Jeremy M. Joseph.

At Deer Park High School, voter David Schey, 62, of Deer Park, said he picked Cornicelli over Garbarino because Cornicelli better reflects the “America First” philosophy — the Donald Trump presidency’s foreign policy doctrine — as well as smaller government policies that Schey prefers.

"Our government is going in the wrong direction. Between Republicans and Democrats, the same people keep getting reelected, and it's time to elect new blood," he said.

Ruth Clark, 59, of Deer Park, was voting, in the Democratic primary for the newly drawn 4th State Senate district, between Ramos and Martinez. She said she was voting for Martinez, whom she said she closer aligned with on various issues, although she wasn’t specific.

Ronald King, 55, said he went to the Forest Road Elementary School in Valley Stream, to vote for Solages.

“He’s the only person I know who made himself known in my neighborhood,” said, King, a resident of Valley Stream. “I didn’t see the other candidates.”

Floy Fenelon, 45, knew who he was going to vote for, when he stepped inside Forest Road Elementary School.

“Carrié Solages,” said Fenelon, of Valley Stream. “He’s a name I know.”

Of Solages, who is serving his sixth term as a Nassau County legislator, Fenelon said, “I trust him.”

Jamie Levere, of Syosset, said because he doesn’t follow local politics, he asked for recommendations on whom to vote for from friends. That recommendation, he said, led to him choose Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, said Levere, 68, outside A. P. Willits Elementary School in Syosset, would be “an improvement” over Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City), who is not seeking re-election to the seat.

Amy Cicio, of Syosset, said she voted for Lafazan because “he’s young” and brings “a fresh perspective.”

“He’s going to make a difference,” said Cicio, 51.

Because Lafazan, who is endorsed by Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), Cicio said, “I think he has a lot of support.”

Election officials expected a light turnout by voters, which is typical for primaries.

The August primary was ordered by a state judge. He rejected the election district maps for Congress and State Senate drawn by the State Legislature’s Democratic majorities. The judge ruled the maps unfairly favored Democrats and didn’t comply with laws created to keep similar communities of race and ethnicity in the same districts.

That required new maps and an additional primary day. Some voters will find themselves in different districts than in the past. The primary election for State Assembly and governor were held in June as scheduled.

Votes cast at polls and in early voting are expected to be announced after the polls closed, but those results won’t be official. A recanvassing of all votes is required by law and is expected to be complete within 15 days.

Jim Scheuerman of the Nassau County board of elections said that as of just after 6 p.m., 20,234 people had voted, out of 420,000 voters eligible to vote in this election. That’s in addition to 8,580 early votes and 6,543 absentee ballots.