Queens hasn’t had a competitive election for Queens District Attorney since Richard Brown was elected in 1991. Brown was the Queens DA for 28 years. He was a relic of the tough-on-crime era that led to mass incarceration in Queens. "Historically, the Democratic Party has had enormous influence in choosing the city’s district attorneys. The races often attract little interest, and low voter turnout allows the favorites of the political machine to win, cementing long, unchallenged tenures. Nowhere has that been more true than in Queens, where the Democratic Party (Queens Machine) has picked the county’s district attorney for decades." With a Tough-on-Crime D.A. Stepping Down, Will Queens Turn to a Reformer?
Most progressive groups have now coalesced behind Tiffany L. Cabán for Queens District Attorney and the Queens Machine is backing Melinda Katz. "Cabán’s top opponent at this point in the race is Katz, a career politician with no courtroom experience who’s run for at least six offices throughout New York. Despite her machine backing and questionable past positions on issues from the death penalty to cash bail, Katz has moved closer and closer to Cabán on a number of issues since The Intercept covered the race in March...
In addition to distancing herself from policy proposals that fall short of the progressive standard Cabán is pushing, Katz has also tried to explain away her past support for conservative criminal justice measures. Katz said she only voted for the death penalty while she was a member of the New York State Assembly on moral grounds after her mother was killed in a drunk driving accident. But during that race in 1994, where the Queens Daily News described her as a candidate 'bucking the Queens Democratic machine,' Katz said she didn’t think the death penalty was a deterrent but that she supported it because of 'the enormous cost of keeping someone behind bars for life.'" The Intercept.
BE A PART OF QUEENS HISTORY IN 3 EASY STEPS!
1. You can register online through the DMV. If you have a valid ID from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, you can register to vote online. You must register as a Democrat (Party Affiliation) to vote in the June 25th Democratic primary. The candidate that voters choose in this primary is expected to go on to win in the November general election, and could set prosecution policy for decades to come. If you are not a registered Democrat, you have until May 31st to register as a Democrat. June 18 is the last day to request an absentee ballot and June 24 is the last day to vote absentee.
2. Review the Queens District Attorney 2019 Election Guide.
3. Click Here to Find Where to Vote. New York guarantees you the right to take off work to vote. Polls are open between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. If you don’t have at least four consecutive hours before or after work to vote, New York law requires your employer to give you at least two hours to vote without loss of pay as long as you notify them within two to 10 days. GET OUT + VOTE ON JUNE 25th!
NOTE: You can vote with a criminal record in New York. Check here to see if you can vote in the June 25 primary for Queens district attorney. You can double-check by calling the Queens Board of Elections at (212)-VOTE-NYC. If this person is voting for the first time after being convicted of a crime, they will need to register again. If you are in jail, you can get a registration form through your law library. Once you’ve filled it out, a law library coordinator will deliver it to the Board of Elections for you. If you feel your voting rights were violated, call (866) OUR-VOTE for help.