It’s time to start thinking about who will vote in the first New York City election of 2007. There will be two Special Elections for City Council in February. One in the 40th Council District in Brooklyn will pick the replacement for Yvette Clarke who is going to Congress. The other is the 51st and will select the successor to Andrew Lanza who is becoming a State Senator.
These elections are non-partisan with nobody running on the Democratic, Republican, Independence, Conservative or Working Families lines. There is no runoff, so candidates have won with less than a majority. Turnout in these elections are usually small, ranging from 5% to 15% depending on how serious contested the race is.
The districts are very different. The 40th is overwhelmingly Democratic with a large majority of Black voters (including a large number of Caribbean Americans). The 51st is the only District in the City where there are more Republicans than Democrats and it is probably the “Whitest” district also.
Here’s how the registered voters break down. (Note that the ethnic percentages are estimates based on voter’s last names and are not 100% accurate).
40th Council District
Democrats 79%
Republicans 5%
Independence 2%
Other minor Parties less than 1%
Blanks 13%
Women 60%
Seniors (65+) 16%
Blacks 78%
Hispanics 10%
Jewish 7%
51st Council District
Democrats 37%
Republicans 39%
Independence 2%
Conservatives 2%
Other minor Parties less than 1%
Blanks 19%
Women 53%
Seniors (65+) 16%
Italians 40%
Jewish 14%
Irish 8%
Hispanics 7%