Election 2020 In Levittown: Everything You Need To Know

LEVITTOWN, NY — After unprecedented early vote totals, voters will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in what will be a referendum on President Donald Trump's first term in office. Levittown voters will cast their ballots for Congress, as well as for New York State Senate and Assembly, both of which are currently controlled by Democrats. That includes voting to fill the seat of longtime, outgoing Republican U.S. Rep. Pete King, where Republican Andrew Garbarino is running against Democrat Jackie Gordon in an effort to keep the seat in GOP hands.

Other state races on Levittown ballots this year include elections for state Assembly Districts 14 and 17 and state Senate District 6, featuring incumbents David McDonough, John Mikulin and Democrat Kevin Thomas, respectively.

The deadline to register in New York was Oct. 9. You can check your voting status on the Secretary of State's website, where you can also find your polling place.

New York’s 2nd Congressional District

Garbarino and Gordon seek to succeed King, who announced last year he would not seek re-election. The district covers Levittown, North Wantagh, Seaford, South Farmingdale and Massapequa. Suffolk County communities include Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst, Gilgo, West Babylon, Wyandanch, North Babylon, Babylon, Baywood, Brentwood, Brightwaters, Central Islip, Islip, Great River, Ocean Beach, Oakdale, West Sayville, Bohemia, West Islip and Ronkonkoma.

Garbarino, 36, of Sayville, is currently an attorney and assemblyman for New York's Seventh District. His brother is an assistant town attorney in Islip. After graduating from Sayville High School, he earned a bachelor's degree from George Washington University in history and classical humanities, later earned a law degree from Hofstra Law School.

Garbarino was elected to represent the 7th Assembly District in 2012. Now in his fourth term, Garbarino has served as the ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Insurance, and also sits on the Codes, Health, Higher Education, and Racing and Wagering Committees. He serves as the vice-chair of the Joint Conference Committee and is a member of the Assembly Minority Review Committee, which develops and vets policy for the Minority Conference.

Garbarino is also a member of the executive committee of the National Council of Insurance Legislators, which is made up of state legislators across the country. He also works at his family’s law firm in Sayville, is a member of the Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus, and is a parishioner at St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church.

Gordon, 55, of Copiague, received her Bachelor of Science in health education at Hunter College, her Master of Science in counselor education at Queens College and a Professional Diploma in educational leadership from Queens College.

Serving as an Army Reservist beginning in 1984, Gordon retired six years ago with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She worked as an educator in New York Public Schools from 1986 until 2020 and also served as a Babylon Town councilwoman from 2007 to 2020.

See also:

• Meet The Candidates: Andrew Garbarino For Congress
• Meet The Candidates: Jackie Gordon For Congress

New York Senate District 6

In the race for New York Senate District 6, Democratic state Sen. Kevin Thomas faces a formidable challenge from Dennis Dunne Sr. Libertarian Jonathan Gunther is also running as a third-party candidate following an unsuccessful bid last year for Nassau County Legislature.

Thomas, of Levittown, was elected in 2018 to represent District 6, becoming the first Indian-American to serve in the state Senate. He currently serves as chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee and sits on the Judiciary, Finance, Banking, Aging, Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committees.

Born in Dubai, Thomas immigrated to the United States when he was 10 and grew up in Queens. He received his Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and worked as an attorney and appointee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to the New York State Advisory Committee.

Dunne, of Levittown, represents the 6th Councilmanic District in the Town of Hempstead. He was appointed to the town board in 2017 after serving 22 years as a Nassau County legislator.

Dunne was an original member of the Legislature when it formed in 1996. He serves as president of the Levittown/Island Trees Veterans Council and was the president of the Marine Corps Coordinating Council. He is a member of the American Legion, VFW, the Disabled American Veterans, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Lions Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Kiwanis Club and the Levittown Chamber of Commerce. Dunne is also the former chair of the Nassau County Executive's Veterans Advisory Committee.

Dunne received his Associate of Arts degree from Nassau Community College in 1975 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in 1979.

See also:

• New York Senate District 6 Candidates: Meet Kevin Thomas

New York Assembly District 14

Incumbent Republican New York state Assemblyman Dave McDonough will face Democrat Kevin Gorman. Libertarian candidate Jake Gutowitz is also running on a third party platform.

First elected to represent the district in 2002, McDonough, of Merrick, is the chairman of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Public Safety and works with prominent agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Secret Service, and more.

McDonough is also the ranking minority member on the Assembly Transportation Committee and serves on the Health, Education, Veterans' Affairs and Consumer Affairs committees. He is also a member of the Nassau County Task Force on Family Violence.

Gorman, 68, of Wantagh, works as a procurement supervisor for Nassau County and has spent 20 years in financial services. He graduated from Fordham University, describes himself as a proud uncle and said he has a lifetime of community service experience in Wantagh and around the district.

The 14th Assembly District includes Bellmore, North Bellmore, Merrick, North Merrick, Wantagh, Seaford and parts of Levittown.

See also:

• Meet The Candidates: David McDonough For Assembly
  
• Meet The Candidates: Kevin Gorman For Assembly

New York Assembly District 17

Incumbent Republican New York state Assemblyman John Mikulin will face Democratic challenger Mark Engelman in the District 17 race.

Mikulin, 32, of Bethpage, was first elected to represent Assembly District 17 in 2018. He has served as president of the Island Trees Library Board and as the deputy town attorney in the Town of Hempstead before serving in the Assembly.

Mikulin earned a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in government, as well as a Juris Doctor Degree from Touro Law School. He sits on committees including Banks; Consumer Affairs and Protection; Education; Election Law and Mental Health. He is an active parishioner at St. James Roman Catholic Church and is a member of the Levittown Property Association.

Engelman, 29, of Massapequa, is running for his first political office. He is currently self-employed, fulfilling app-based services, and previously worked as a retail closing manager who was responsible for setting up the store for operation in the morning.

Additionally, Engelman has worked in elections for five years.

The district covers East Meadow, Levittown, Plainedge and South Farmingdale, and portions of Massapequa, North Bellmore, North Merrick, Farmingdale and Uniondale.

See also:

• Meet The Candidates: John Mikulin For State Assembly
  
• Meet The Candidates: Mark Engelman For State Assembly

Presidential Election

In what's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated presidential elections in recent memory, incumbent Republican President Donald Trump will try to fend off a tough foe in former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden has held a healthy lead in the polls in recent weeks — FiveThirtyEight's website shows Biden has an average of advantage of 10.5 points as of Wednesday, up from 8.2 on Oct. 1. The site notes that polling averages are adjusted based on state and national polls. Candidates' averages can change even if no new polls are added to the calculation.

Historic Early Voting

Nassau County voters turned out early in droves, following a pattern seen nationwide. More than 144,000 absentee ballots were requested by Republicans and Democrats in Nassau, a spokeswoman for the county Board of Elections told Patch on Friday afternoon. About 99,000 of those were requested by registered Democrats and about 45,000 were by registered Republicans

About 93,000 absentee ballots were returned: about 65,000 from registered Democrats and 28,000 from registered Republicans, the Board of Elections said.

Furthermore, about 171,000 people in Nassau voted early, including about 82,000 registered Demcorats and 48,800 registered Republicans.

While there was no early voting in 2016, the spokeswoman said, the number of absentee ballots requested and returned in 2020 has been "tremendously larger." In 2016, about 48,000 absentee ballots were cast in all in Nassau County.

How To Vote

There are several ways residents can vote this year: mailing in their ballot, voting early and voting on election day.

Mail-In Voting

Vote-by-mail applications must be received by the Nassau County clerk by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The ballot itself must either be personally delivered to the board of elections no later than the close of polls on Election Day, or postmarked by a governmental postal service not later than the day of the election and received no later than the 7th day after the election.

Voting On Election Day

Polls in New York are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day.
You can find your assigned polling place by visiting the New York State Board of Elections website. For questions about voting in Garden City, contact the Nassau County Board of Elections at 516-571-VOTE (8683).