Ready. Vote. Repeat.
New Yorkers head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a special election for city public advocate that will cost as much as $15 million — and have to be repeated in a few months.
And as soon as the election is over, the winner will begin gathering petitions to qualify for the June 26 primary, followed by the general election in November.
Just a sliver of the city’s 4.7 million voters is expected to cast ballots for one of 17 candidates.
“You’ve got a public advocate, a special election, a nonpartisan election and you have it at the end of February,” Baruch College Professor Doug Muzzio said.
Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Board of Elections estimates it will cost between $11 million and $15 million to conduct the election.
Councilman Jumaane Williams is viewed as a front-runner for a post that is next in line to the mayor but has few duties.
Williams was hit late by news that he was arrested in 2009 following a fight with his then-girlfriend. She dropped the charges and the record was sealed, only to be leaked right before the election.
Sources said Williams either pushed or threw a chair at the woman but missed. Other objects and a wall were damaged in the fight, a source added.
“I’m deeply concerned by this report,” challenger Melissa Mark-Viverito said. “I’m also deeply concerned by Jumaane’s lack of clarity on exactly what happened that day.”