The June 23 primary election is coming up fast, with early voting kicking off on June 13, and it’s shaping up to be a big deal in Brooklyn.
There are dozens of local and federal races on the ballot, including some of the most closely-watched Congressional races in the state.
In NY-7, three candidates — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Assembly Member Claire Valdez and Council Member Julie Won — are running to replace longtime congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, who is retiring after this term. The race has caused ripples in local Democratic circles, after Velázquez endorsed Reynoso and publicly disagreed with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to support Valdez, his fellow Democratic Socialist.
There’s another major Democratic clash in NY-10, where incumbent Dan Goldman is facing a challenge from former Comptroller and council member Brad Lander. Like in NY-7, both candidates are progressives, but Goldman is backed by more centrist Democrats — like Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries — while Lander has been endorsed by Mamdani and the Working Families party.
Assembly Member Claire Valdez (left) and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso are two candidates in the hotly-contested primary in NY-7. File photo courtesy of Claire Valdez/File photo by Gabriele Holtermann
In Assembly District 46, Democrats Chris McCreight and Joseph Santangelo are battling for the chance to face off against incumbent Republican Alec Brook-Krasny, who flipped the formerly-blue district as part of a “Red Wave” in 2022.
Two other longtime Assembly Members, Stefani L. Zinerman in AD56 and Jaime Williams in AD59, are facing challenges from progressives.
Retail worker and Democratic Socialist Eon Huntley is running against Zinerman, and has picked up support from local council member Chi Ossé and the Working Families Party.WFP is also supporting community activist Jibreel Jalloh in his campaign to unseat Williams in AD59.
Here’s everything you need to know about how and when to vote and who’s running in each race!
When and how can I vote in the primary?
New York has closed primaries, meaning only registered voters can take part. The deadline to vote by mail is June 13, but you have until June 22 to register in-person at your county Board of Elections office. You can find all the application materials — plus links to register online or confirm your registration status — on the BOE website.
Any registered voter can apply to vote early by mail or to vote absentee, depending on your circumstances. You can request an early or absentee ballot online by mail by June 14, or in-person by June 23. If you do vote by mail, make sure your ballot is postmarked no later than June 23, or bring it to an early voting site, your regular poll site, or the county board of elections by the time voting closes on June 23.
Early voting begins June 13.. File photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Early voting
Early voting starts on Saturday, June 13, and runs through Sunday, June 21. On June 13-15 and June 19-21, early voting sites will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. They’re open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on June 16 and 17, and from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 18.
Early voting sites are usually different from election day polling sites and may have changed since last year. You can enter your address on the BOE website to locate your early voting site!
Voting on Election Day
Primary Election Day 2026 is Tuesday, June 13. That day, polls are open from 6 a.m.-9 p.m., and you have a right to vote if you’re still in line when the polls close! You have to vote at your assigned polling place on Election Day, and you can easily locate it online via the BOE.
If you have more questions or any issues, you can call the Board of Elections at 866-868-3692.
Who’s on the ballot?
There are a ton of races going on across Brooklyn in this Primary Election, but which ones you’ll participate in depend on which Congressional and state Assembly and Senate districts you’re in. We’ve assembled a full list of races and candidates — with links to their websites — below. The Board of Elections offers sample ballots online so you can confirm who’s on your ballot!
All of the primaries in Brooklyn this year are Democratic except for one, the Republican primary in state Senate District 22. That doesn’t mean Republicans won’t appear on the ballot in other districts, just that those Republicans are not facing challengers in the primary.
State Comptroller:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
NY-7 – Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, East New York, Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Greenpoint and parts of Queens
NY-9 – Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts-Gardens, Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Kensington, Sheepshead Bay
NY-10 – Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, parts of Borough Park and Bay Ridge and lower Manhattan
NY-11 – Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst and Staten Island
STATE SENATE:
SD-12 – Bushwick, parts of Queens
SD-23 – Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Seagate, Staten Island
Republican state Senate Primary:
SD-22 – Midwood, Borough Park, Madison, Homecrest, Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park
STATE ASSEMBLY
AD-43 – Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush
AD-46 – Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Bath Beach, Sea Gate, Coney Island, Brighton Beach
AD-50 – Greenpoint, Williamsburg
AD-52 – Brooklyn Navy Yard, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights
AD-54 – Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East New York
AD-56 – Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights
AD-57 – Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights
AD-59 – Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Mill Basin, Marine Park, Bergen Beach, Gerrittsen Beach
JUDGESHIPS
Judge of the Civil Court, 6th Municipal District
Judge of the Civil Court, 8th Municipal District
There are dozens of federal and local races on the ballot this year. File photo by Gabriele Holtermann
You can read more about each judicial candidate from Brooklyn Paper’s sister publication amNewYork.
There are also dozens of candidates running for State Committee, County Committee and as Judicial Delegates.
State and County committees are both part of the larger Democratic party structure. Brooklyn’s County Committee is the Brooklyn Democratic Party, and County Committee members vote on the party’s Executive Committee and on certain resolutions, and can help choose candidates running in special elections.
State Committee members are part of the New York State Democrats. State Committee members attend and participate in party conventions, support candidates chosen by their parties, and liaise between community members and government officials.
Judicial delegates attend Judicial Nominating Conventions to select candidates for state Supreme Court. There are also elections for alternate judicial delegates.
There are many candidates for State and County committee and Judicial Delegate in different districts across Brooklyn. The easiest way to find out if one of those elections is happening in your district — and to get a full list of candidates — is to head to the NYC BOE website and enter your address to get a sample ballot.