The New York City Board of Elections on Tuesday certified the results of the Republican primary for City Council District 47, even as a cloud of alleged voter fraud looms over the race and the agency itself.
George Sarantopoulos officially defeated Brooklyn GOP chair Richie Barsamian by just 16 votes following a hand recount triggered by the razor-thin margin. He is now set to face Democrat Kayla Santosuosso in November’s general election for the seat currently held by term-limited Council Member Justin Brannan.
Suspicious Ballots and Absentee Fraud Allegations
Just days before certification, the BOE revealed it had referred two alleged incidents of voter fraud to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. One case involved 22 suspicious ballots discovered July 22 in a bin at the BOE’s Brooklyn warehouse. All ballots came from a single scanner in a single election district at the Amalgamated Warbasse Houses in Coney Island and had not been counted on Election Day.
The BOE invalidated those ballots after an internal review failed to link them to actual voters. Separately, absentee ballots were discovered to have been cast in the names of deceased individuals and at least one living voter who did not vote.
Because absentee ballots are separated from identifying envelopes before counting, the fraudulent votes were already included in the tally and could not be removed.
Calls for Accountability Within the BOE
Election attorney Aaron Foldenauer, who represents Sarantopoulos, said there’s growing concern that BOE staff may have been involved. According to THE CITY, law enforcement has seized devices from several Brooklyn BOE workers.
“These [22 votes] were never counted,” Foldenauer said. “They were not counted on election night, they were not counted in the various ranked-choice voting algorithms … therefore, it does appear that these ballots were stuffed in a ballot box late. It further appears that one or more Board of Elections employees may have been involved.”
Sarantopoulos, addressing the board Tuesday, praised workers who raised red flags and called for those responsible to be “punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Barsamian Camp Questions Ballot Invalidation Process
Barsamian has not commented publicly since July 23 but previously emphasized his legal team’s efforts to ensure every “legal vote counts.” His attorney, John Ciampoli, criticized the BOE’s process, claiming canvassers weren’t allowed to inspect or contest the suspicious ballots.
Both Ciampoli and Foldenauer said most of those ballots appeared to favor Barsamian, enough to potentially flip the result.
A lawsuit Sarantopoulos filed earlier this month against Barsamian and the BOE is expected to be dropped now that the race is certified and a criminal investigation is underway.
“The investigation, really, is about bringing any wrongdoers to justice,” Foldenauer said. “Given the ways in which both internal actors at the Board of Elections and external actors can game the system, it’s important that these fraud cases are thoroughly investigated by law enforcement and prosecuted.”
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