Port Washington Voter Guide: Candidates, Polling Locations, Hours

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Port Washington voters will head to the polls Nov. 3 to cast their ballots in races featuring two incumbent Democrats and a trio of candidates vying to fill an outgoing assemblyman's seat.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a former Glen Cove mayor and Nassau County executive, seeks re-election at the federal level against Republican challenger George A. D. Santos. Bob Cohen and Howard Rabin are also running for the seat on the Working Families and Libertarian parties, respectively.

At the state level, two Senate and Assembly seats are up for grabs.

In the race for New York Senate District 7, incumbent Democratic state Sen. Anna Kaplan seeks re-election against Republican challenger Dave Franklin, a former commissioner of the Port Washington Police District.

The election for New York Assembly District 16 features a bout between two relative political newcomers to fill outgoing Democratic Assemblyman Anthony D'Urso's seat. Democrat Gina Sillitti, who has worked for the Nassau County Legislature and Town of North Hempstead, will square off against Republican Ragini Srivastava, owner of a frozen yogurt business who was previously appointed to the Nassau County Comptroller's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Council. Blay Tarnoff is also running on the Libertarian ticket.

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.

Suozzi Takes On Santos in New York's 3rd Congressional District

Suozzi, an attorney and certified public accountant, is a political veteran to say the least. He was first elected to represent the district in 2017, but served as Nassau County executive from 2002 to 2009 and as Glen Cove mayor for seven years before that beginning in 1994.

Suozzi is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, the chamber's chief tax-writing committee. He also serves on both the Oversight and Tax Policy subcommittees.

Some of his key votes as a congressman include voting in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump, against funding a border wall and limiting illegal immigration, against making it a crime for someone to perform an abortion at 20 weeks, and against Republican legislation to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

He was ranked 28th most conservative compared to House Democrats by GovTrack.

Santos, of Queens, is a financial professional who wants to take on "a radical regime," according to TheIslandNow.com.

"He has poorly managed his budget," Santos told the news outlet about Suozzi. "I'm the antidote to all the wasteful spending. I don't see why a congressman from Long Island should have to hop on a first-class airplane flight when you could take the train to Washington."

Santos was born in Jackson Heights to Brazilian immigrant parents and studied economics and finance at Baruch College. He has done stints at CitiGroup and Goldman Sachs and most recently led a business development team at LinkBridge Investors.

From 2013 to 2018, he ran a non-profit animal rescue organization called Friends of Pets United.

Santos' campaign platform includes tax cuts for the middle class, supporting charter schools and vocational education, immigration enforcement, tough anti-gang measures, mental health screenings for students, embracing nuclear power as a renewable energy source and protecting the right to bear arms.

"America is under attack," he said in a statement announcing his campaign. "This time the attack is within. It's coming from radical leftists who are trying to destroy our most basic traditions and the very foundations of our Constitutional Republic."

Bob Cohen and Howard Rabin are also on the ballot this year, running on the Working Families Party and Libertarian lines, respectively.

The 3rd congressional district includes parts of eastern Queens, as well as all or parts of Great Neck, Port Washington, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Hicksville, Bethpage, Old Westbury, Huntington, Northport, Kings Park, Commack and Melville.

Kaplan Faces Franklin in New York Senate District 7

Kaplan, a Democrat from Great Neck, was born in Iran to a Jewish family. Her parents sent her to the United States for safety during the Islamic Revolution. She arrived in Brooklyn and was sent to live with a foster family in Chicago, where she learned English and completed high school. The U.S. government later granted her political asylum.

After her family reunited, they moved to Queens, where Kaplan graduated from Yeshiva University Stern College for Women, and later Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She settled in Great Neck with her husband and two daughters. In 2011, Kaplan was elected as Town of North Hempstead councilwoman in District 4. She won election to the state Senate two years ago, defeating then-incumbent Republican Elaine Phillips with 55 percent of the vote. Kaplan became the first political refugee and the first Iranian-American elected to the New York state Senate.

Having lived in Port Washington for over three decades, Franklin served as a police commissioner for the Port Washington Police District from 2011 to 2019. He managed dozens of uniformed officers and a $20 million budget, helped craft policy, negotiated fair contracts with the police union and helped restructure the administration.

Franklin also has private sector experience, working as a technician and engineer for HBO for nearly four decades.

New York Senate District 7 includes parts of Great Neck, Port Washington, Manhasset, Roslyn, Old Westbury, Westbury, Lake Success, Mineola, Floral Park, Elmont, New Cassel, New Hyde Park and Hicksville.

See also:
New York Senate District 7 Candidates: Meet Dave Franklin
New York Senate District 7 Candidates: Meet Anna Kaplan

With D'Urso Out, Sillitti, Srivastava, Tarnoff Seek Assembly Seat

After winning election to the Assembly as a Democrat in 2016, D'Urso surprised his district in February, announcing that he would not seek re-election for Assembly District 16. The district serves all or parts of the communities of Port Washington, Manhasset, Great Neck, North Hills, Roslyn Heights, Lake Success and North New Hyde Park.

Following the surprise announcement, Sillitti, of Manorhaven, announced her candidacy to serve as the Democratic nominee for the seat.

The daughter of first-generation Italian-Americans, Sillitti said on her campaign website she learned the value of a good education and importance of chasing dreams from her mother, who enrolled in community college at age 45 following the death of her husband.

Sillitti graduated from the University of Georgia and spent nearly two decades working for the Nassau County Legislature, where she helped secure money for fire departments, schools, and helped residents deal with issues such as pothole repairs and navigating personal tragedies.

In 2010, Sillitti was appointed deputy commissioner of the Department of Community Services for the Town of North Hempstead.

Srivastava, of Manhasset Hills, seeks the Assembly seat after an unsuccessful bid last year for North Hempstead Town Council. Born in India, Srivastava came to the United States 19 years ago as a young woman in search of a better life. She volunteered for domestic abuse survivors and women's advocacy groups, and planned community events such as yoga and mindfulness sessions. Through connections she made, Srivastava launched her own business and was later appointed to the Nassau County Comptroller's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Council.

Tarnoff earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Brown University and a Juris Doctorate from Pace University. He has been a computer systems programmer and analyst for four decades and serves as the Libertarian Party's county committee chair.

See also:

• New York Assembly District 16 Election: Meet Gina Sillitti
• New York Assembly District 16 Election: Meet Blay Tarnoff

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.

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. Subscribe 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.

Early Voting

Early voting begins Oct. 24 and runs until Nov. 1.

There are 15 early voting locations in Nassau County:

• Elmont Public Library, 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont
• Floral Park Recreation Center, 124 Stewart St., Floral Park
• Freeport Recreation Center, 130 E. Merrick Road, Freeport
• Recreation Complex at St. Paul's Field House, 295 Stewart Ave., Garden City
• Brierley Park, 65 Dartmouth St., Hempstead
• Levittown Hall, 201 Levittown Parkway, Hicksville
• Lawrence Country Club, 101 Causeway, Lawrence
• Oyster Bay Town Hall South, 977 Hicksville Road, Massapequa
• North Merrick Public Library, 1691 Meadowbrook Road, North Merrick
• Mid-Island Y JCC, 45 Manetto Hill Road, Plainview
• Gayle Community Center, 53 Orchard St., Roslyn Heights
• St. Markella Greek Orthodox Church, 1960 Jones Ave., Wantagh
• West Hempstead Public Library, 500 Hempstead Ave., West Hempstead
• Yes We Can Center-New Cassel, 141 Garden St., Westbury
• Nassau County Board of Elections, 240 Old Country Road, Mineola

Any voter can vote at any of the early voting locations. Opening times at the locations vary by date.

• Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 28, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 29, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 30, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All polling locations are open at all times, except for the Board of Elections office, which is open for voting until 8 p.m. on Oct. 26 and 28.

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).