A Snowstorm Could Complicate Long Island’s Big Special Election

Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images

On Tuesday, voters decide who will succeed George Santos in his Queens and Long Island district after the congressman was ousted late last year by his House colleagues. But after weeks of campaigning, door-knocking, and early voting, the results of that long-awaited race may be affected by something out of the hands of either party: the weather.

As election day arrived, the snowstorm that had been forecast to hit the area at least partially lived up to the hype, bringing the city and Long Island its most substantial snowfall in years.

Early reports indicate that there was low voter turnout in Queens Tuesday morning when the snowfall was at its steadiest. New York has frequently experienced less than stellar turnout, as seen in both the 2022 gubernatorial and House elections and 2023 City Council elections, but there are some indications that, at least for same-day voting, this is a different ballgame:

Polls are open until 9 p.m. in both counties in the district and forecasts are predicting that the snow will taper off by mid-afternoon, potentially clearing the way for voters to cast their ballots later in the day.

Early voting in the Third Congressional District began on February 3, giving voters a little more than a week to cast their ballots in advance for former Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi or Republican Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip. Both candidates headed to their own polling places on Friday, and Politico reported that more than 66,000 voters cast their ballot during the early voting period. Suozzi, who urged his supporters to vote early on Sunday ahead of the impending storm, also advised voters that they can still fill out a ballot in person at the Board of Elections office on Monday. “Be safe. Vote today. Vote Suozzi,” he said on X.

Polling has long shown a tight race between the two candidates where the slightest shift in voting could make a significant difference. A Newsday/Siena College poll released Thursday showed Suozzi leading Pilip 48 percent to 44 percent among likely voters in the district with a 4.2 percent margin of error. The race will have serious implications in the House of Representatives, where a series of retirements have weakened the Republican Party’s thin hold on the chamber.