Photo by Síle Moloney
The New York City Board of Elections (BOE) published its second, updated preliminary unofficial report of the ranked choice vote (RCV) tabulation in the 2021 District 11 primary election on Tuesday evening, July 6.
According to the report, incumbent councilman, Eric Dinowitz, secured 61.3 percent (9,489 votes) of the vote share after the latest tabulation, beating his nearest opponent, Mino Lora, as reported. The report showed first-time candidate, Lora, founder and executive director of the People’s Theater Project, finishing with 38.7 percent (5,992 votes) after Round 6, and indicated that Dinowitz had won the race, as reported.
Source: NYC Board of Elections
A week ago, after the initial RCV tabulation was re-published on June 30, Dinowitz led the race with 59.2 percent of the vote share versus Lora’s 40.8 percent as of that date. On Election Night, Dinowitz led with 42.27 percent, compared to his nearest opponent at the that time who was, once again, Lora, with 27.43 percent.
Source: NYC Board of Elections
As reported, Dinowitz released a statement on Wednesday, July 7, confirming he had received 61.3 percent of the vote in the final round of ranked choice voting. “I am thrilled to have won the Democratic Primary – it is an absolute honor to serve my community and I look forward to continuing to be a voice for the North Bronx in the City Council,” he said.
Source: NYC Board of Elections
He went on to thank all of his supporters by name and added, “Most importantly, I am grateful for every voter who made their voice heard in this critical election. Since being elected in March, my team and I have worked hard to deliver for the North Bronx, and we are excited to continue fighting for a fair and equitable recovery for our community. I look forward to working with all Bronxites to ensure a strong future for all of us.”
Source: NYC Board of Elections
Runner-up, Lora, had previously circulated a note of thanks to her supporters on June 25, saying, “To everyone who voted, volunteered, and supported our campaign—thank you. ¡Gracias! ধন্যবাদ. We knocked doors until our knuckles were bruised and lost our voices talking to everyone we could. We worked this hard against all odds because we deserve nothing less. Now, we wait for ranked choice voting to determine the final outcome in a few weeks.”
To everyone who voted, volunteered, and supported our campaign—thank you. ¡Gracias! ধন্যবাদ.
🧵1/6 pic.twitter.com/g7ks7vlegI
— Mino Lora 🇩🇴🇺🇸 (@MinoLora) June 25, 2021
She continued, “Because of our campaign, people went to the polls excited for someone to vote for. Our neighbors, who never voted before, did so for the first time. The energy we brought to the streets was real and can never be undone. We will continue to fight for a government that actually serves the people, and is accountable to making the systemic changes we all need to thrive.”
Source: NYC Board of Elections
Lora went on to say that her campaign had been grounded in truth. “We maintained our integrity, independence, and fought everyday to expand our democracy and who’s part of it. We did it with joy, excitement for what’s possible, and because we refused to be invisible—now everyone knows we’re here! So mi gente, keep your shoelaces tied, because we’ve only just begun! ¡Pa’lante! #MinofortheBronx”
Image via Facebook
A day earlier, on June 24, fellow candidate and 2nd runner-up, Abigail Martin, who won 18.4 percent of the vote before she was eliminated, circulated a thank you message on social media and an apparent concession, ahead of both RCV counts, saying, “What a wild ride it has been! I am so proud and thankful to our team for fighting so hard for District 11! The level of dedication and commitment of each one of you was unmatched and our hard work did not go unnoticed. When you consider what we were able to accomplish– as a truly grassroots campaign– I am in awe.”
Source: NYC Board of Elections
Martin went on to thank all of her supporters, volunteers, canvassers, donors, and endorsers for their support, saying from the very beginning, her campaign had never been about doing what was expected, but was about giving the voters a chance for new leadership, and the opportunity to elect a candidate who would fight for all.
“While the outcome isn’t what I hoped, I know that change is on the horizon,” she said. “I ran for City Council because I saw how so many in our community and our City were suffering, especially during the COVID crisis. I knew my experience navigating City agencies and fighting for the most vulnerable gave me the background our City needed at this time. As we rebuild, I will continue to fight to make New York more affordable for all. All New Yorkers deserve the chance to thrive, no matter their financial or life circumstances.”
Image via Facebook
Martin said the best part of the campaign had been the relationships she built over the previous ten months. “I will never forget any of you, especially those who joined #teamMartin. I look forward to continuing to #buildabetterbronx together! I am forever grateful! Onward,” she said.
As reported, the BOE recently released an important video notice in which the agency asked New Yorkers to keep an eye out for a potential notice from the agency which explains how they can correct their invalid absentee ballots, where applicable. According to the latest (July 6) report, there were 1,523 inactive ballots in this race. It is this process of curing the ballots which is now taking place before the BOE can ratify the election.
These are only preliminary results. I assume the rationale for sharing them is to be transparent, but there are certainly flaws in releasing incomplete data. Clearly still some things to work out with RCV.
— Steven Morales (@slifkasteve) June 29, 2021
As reported, Norwood News has queried with the BOE the sequence of how the second RCV tabulation was carried out (as opposed to the methodology) in all the recent primary races. We will update this story upon receipt of any further information we receive.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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