By Phil Corso
More than 16,000 ballots were cast in the Sept. 13 primary elections in Queens races for state Assembly, according to official city Board of Elections results, which equates to less than 10 percent of all voters eligible to participate.
Looking at the raw numbers, the southern Queens Democratic primary race involving Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) for the 33rd Assembly District drew the most ballots, with 5,028, records showed, which equated to more than 9 percent of total eligible voters.
In that race, Clark earned a 14th consecutive term as a state legislator when she beat Cambria Heights resident Clyde Vanel in the Sept. 13 primary. Clark, who received more than 3,000 votes in the primary, said her reputation as an institution in the community was upheld in her victory.
But in terms of percentage, the race concerning Nily Rozic and Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece in northeast Queens recorded the highest Democratic voter turnout, with more than 14 percent of the more than 31,000 eligible Democrats voting in the primary, the BOE said.
Of the 4,550 total ballots, Rozic, the Democratic candidate for the 25th Assembly District seat, received 2,322 votes in the Sept. 13 primary against Iannece. Rozic will face Republican Abe Fuchs and Conservative William Garifal Jr. in the Nov. 6 general election for the seat currently held by Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows).
In Flushing’s 40th District, the only Republican primary in the borough drew the highest total percentage of votes out of all Assembly races where Phil Gim earned a spot on the ballot, according to BOE results. Out of nearly 3,000 Republicans eligible to vote within the district, 446 ballots were recorded in the election, meaning 14.9 percent of eligible Republicans participated in the primary.
In the only Republican race for Assembly, Gim defeated opponent Sunny Hahn, bringing in 311 total votes in the 40th District, which covers downtown Flushing and the residential area north of it.
On the Democratic side, 4,613 total ballots were recorded, showing that more than 8 percent of eligible voters in the district participated in the primary where Ron Kim claimed victory. Kim won over a crowded ticket in the race for the Assembly seat to be vacated by Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing), receiving more than 1,200 votes to beat out four others: Yen Chou, Ethel Chen, Myungsuk Lee and Martha Flores-Vazquez.
But of the five Queens primaries for Assembly, the lowest voter turnout in terms of raw numbers and percentage went to the race involving Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) in the 38th District, which includes parts of Woodhaven, Glendale, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill and Ozone Park. In that Democratic primary race, a total of 2,161 ballots were cast, which equates to about 7 percent of all active enrolled Democrats in the district.
Miller retained his seat, defeating political newcomer Etienne David Adorno with more than 1,500 votes on his side.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
