New York City Council elections: What to know

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Every seat in the New York City Council is up for reelection.

Here is a breakdown of what you need to know before going to the polls or submitting your absentee ballot. 

When, where and how to vote in NYC

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls in New York City will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To find your pollsite, click here.

Residents also have the options to vote early or to vote by absentee ballot. Early voting was held from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5.

Absentee ballots could be requested until Nov. 6. The last day to request an absentee ballot online was Oct. 23.

The last day to postmark or deliver your absentee ballot to your elections office is Nov. 7. While the Board of Elections can receive absentee ballots up until Nov. 14, they will not count if they’re not postmarked by Nov. 7.

How many City Council seats are in each borough?

Manhattan has 10 seats, the Bronx has eight seats, Queens has 14 seats, Brooklyn has 16 seats and Staten Island has three seats. To find out what district you live in, click here.

The City Council also has an interactive map you can use to see what district you’re located in.

What’s the party split in City Council?

Only six seats in the City Council are held by Republicans. The remaining seats are held by Democrats.

That could change depending on which candidates win the general election in November. A breakdown of each candidate and the issues they’re focused on can be found on NYCVotes, which is run by the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

Key races to watch

Although the majority of City Council seats are held by Democrats, issues such as the city’s migrant crisis may change the way people vote this election season.

These are some of the key races to watch, as highlighted by City & State NY.

District 13: Incumbent Marjorie Velázquez (D) vs. Kristy Marmorato (R)

Velázquez has called on retailers and manufacturers of e-bikes to protect workers and consumers amid a recent spike in lithium-ion battery fires.

She also supported a controversial upzoning project in Throggs Neck, which led to protests outside of her office. Some residents said the flood-prone area is already overpopulated, and that those issues need to be addressed first.

Marmorato, an X-ray technician, has ties with the Bronx’s Republican Party. Her brother is Bronx Republican Chair Michael Rendino and her husband is the Bronx GOP commissioner for the New York City Board of Elections.

District 19: Incumbent Vickie Paladino (R) vs. Tony Avella (D)

Paladino and Avella are fighting for a seat in the City Council for the third time. Paladino won the district only by a few hundred votes back in 2021.

During her tenure, Paladino instituted the city’s first Veteran Resource Center in District 19.

Paladino has shown her support for Daniel Penny, who was charged with second-degree manslaughter for placing Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway. Neely was aggressively asking for money and food before the deadly encounter, officials have said.

Paladino called Penny’s actions, “clearly self-defense, and defense of the people that were threatened that day on the subway.”

Paladino also made comments about a drag queen story hour, calling the event “child grooming and sexualization.” 

Avella is backed by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. He’s a former state senator who has pushed for more gifted and talented programs in city schools, jail time for machete possession, and for the Parks Department to address dangerous trees in front of homes.

District 43: Susan Zhuang (D) vs. Ying Tan (R) vs. Vito LaBella (Conservative)

District 43 is the city’s newest City Council district. City Councilmember Justin Brannan currently serves the district, but due to a redrawing of the district map, he’ll be battling City Councilmember Ari Kagan for District 47’s council seat.

Zhuang is the chief of staff to Assemblymember William Colton. She started a petition earlier this year to declare Lunar New Year a public holiday. 

Ying Tan has received unlikely support from a Democrat, Wai Yee Chan. Chan ran for the council seat for District 43, but lost to Zhuang in the Democratic primary.

LaBella lost to Tan during the Republican primary, but was able to stay in the election by winning the Conservative Party primary. He previously ran for state senate.

District 47: Incumbent Justin Brannan (D) vs. Incumbent Ari Kagan (R)

The two City Council incumbents are facing off after their districts were redrawn based on census data. Brannan currently holds the City Council seat for the 43rd District. Kagan switched parties in late 2022, setting up the general election showdown.

District 48: Incumbent Inna Vernikov (R) vs. Amber Adler (D) vs. Igor Kazatsker (Team Trump)

Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was previously backed by former President Donald Trump. She was recently arrested after pictures posted online showed her carrying a gun during a pro-Palestinian protest at Brooklyn College. 

Adler has called on the City Council to expel Vernikov following her arrest. She made an appearance on Netflix’s “My Unorthodox Life” and pushed for support for women trying to leave abusive marriages.

Kazatsker joined the race after having enough petition signatures to run under Team Trump, according to published reports. The party allegedly is not affiliated with former President Donald Trump, according to The New York Post.