Babylon Democrats News

Answers to Your Questions on How to Vote in November

Oct
14
2020

New Yorkers have three ways to vote in this year’s general election on Nov. 3.

Absentee ballots
This year, any voter may receive an absentee ballot if they are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 at polling places.

Voters may request absentee ballots from their county board of elections by mail, email, fax, telephone or by visiting.

Absentee ballot applications may be downloaded in English or in Spanish at www.elections.ny.gov/VotingAbsentee.html. A voter should complete the application and check "temporary illness or physical disability" for the reason, which would include concern about contracting the COVID-19 virus.| read more ››

Jackie Gordon to Represent 2nd Congressional District

Oct
14
2020

In his most memorable moments, Peter King — who is vacating New York’s 2nd Congressional District after 14 terms in Congress — was an advocate for his service-oriented constituents. That included the firefighters, police officers and nurses who work long hours and sometimes dangerous ones to keep society ticking, who don't shrink from duty during disaster, be it Sept. 11 or superstorm Sandy.

Many of them had moved to Long Island to carve out middle class lives, the kinds of newcomers whose parents or grandparents might have come through Ellis Island seeking new opportunities, and now they were making good on that gamble here.

It is those constituents and their 21st century dreams who Jackie Gordon is perfectly poised to represent.

Gordon, 55, has already lived a life of service. That includes nearly 30 years in the U.S. Army Reserve as a military police officer. It includes decades as a Wilson Technological Center guidance counselor and Babylon Town councilwoman.| read more ››

VOTERS' GUIDE: General Election, November 3, 2020

Oct
13
2020

VOTERS' GUIDE

Whether you're voting by mail, voting early, or voting on Election Day, read all about the candidates who are looking for your vote and where they stand on the issues. If you have questions about how to vote this year, read about the 3 ways you can vote.| read more ››

How NYers Can Vote by Absentee Ballot in the June 23 Primary

Absentee ballots will be available to all New Yorkers for the June primary
Apr
14
2020

New Yorkers looking to use absentee ballots to vote rather than going to polling places during the COVID-19 outbreak need only fill out an application for a mail-in ballot, according to the state Board of Elections.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s executive order temporarily suspends a portion of state election law. The order will allow voters to apply for absentee ballots because voting in person could make them susceptible to contracting the virus.

A voter must check the box on the existing application for “temporary illness or physical disability,” but will not be required to appear before election officials to obtain an absentee ballot.| read more ››

Cuomo Changes Election Rules in Effort to Slow Spread of COVID-19 Outbreak

Mar
14
2020

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order Saturday temporarily modifying election procedures to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Under the new order, the candidate petitioning process will be suspended effective 5 p.m. Tuesday for the June primaries for congressional, state senate, state assembly and judicial races.

In addition, the signature requirements for ballot access will also be modified under the new order. Candidates now only need to collect 30 percent of the statutory threshold. This means that congressional candidates need only 375 signatures rather than 1,250. Meanwhile, State Senate candidates need 300 signatures rather than 1,000, and State Assembly candidates require 150 signatures instead of the normally-required 500.| read more ››

Voters Elect Jason Richberg to Fill DuWayne Gregory's Seat in 15th District

Mar
11
2020

Jason Richberg, a West Babylon Democrat, defeated by a wide margin two challengers — an Amityville Republican and a Copiague Democrat — in a special election for a prominent Suffolk County Legislature seat.

Suffolk Board of Election results showed that Richberg, a clerk to the legislature, won as many as 2,022 votes of 2,501 cast in a contest to win the 15th Legislative District and replace former Legis. DuWayne Gregory, who once served as presiding officer.

"I think it’s important at this point in time that we get together and listen to what the needs of the district are," Richberg said after the votes were tallied. "Obviously, people want to be heard and I am here to be that...| read more ››

Town supervisors push to get share of proposed internet sales tax

Rich Schaffer
Mar
18
2019

Suffolk County’s 10 towns are seeking a portion of a proposed internet sales tax, pointing to similar revenue-sharing agreements in Nassau and other counties.

Rich Schaffer, the supervisor for the Town of Babylon and chairman of the Suffolk County Supervisors Association, is leading the effort to get a share of the anticipated sales tax on online purchases that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo estimates could bring the state as much as $390 million annually.

While the three towns and two cities in Nassau County have long had a sales-tax sharing agreement with the county, Schaffer and his nine colleagues are asking only that a portion of the future revenue from the internet sales go to the towns.| read more ››