General election is next week

Ready or not the general election is here. District 11 residents who have already registered to vote will decide who they want to represent them on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Early voting began Oct. 28 and continues until Sunday, Nov. 5. The last day to postmark a ballot is Nov. 7.

It must be received by the city Board of Elections no later than Nov. 14.

For military voters, ballots must be received no later than Nov. 24. The last day to deliver a ballot in-person to the local board of elections or to any poll site in your county is Nov. 7.

In the upcoming vote in greater Riverdale, there is only one contested race — the city council 11th district seat held by Democrat Eric Dinowitz.

He is being challenged by Robert Caemmerer, who is running under the Republican and Conservative/Medical Freedom lines.

The other uncontested races are for district attorney, which includes incumbent Darcel Clark who won her primary against criminal defense and civil rights attorney Tess Cohen in July; Judge of the Civil Court and Justice of the Supreme Court 12th Judicial District. The candidates are Joaquin Orellana for civil court and Michael Frishman, Sharon Aarons and John Howard-Algarin for Supreme Court. In the latter race, there are three openings and three candidates.

The ballot includes statewide ballot measure questions which read as follows:

• Proposal Number 1, an Amendment: Removal of Small City School Districts From Special Constitutional Debt Limitation

The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 4 of the Constitution removes the special constitutional debt limitation now placed on small city school districts, so they will be treated the same as all other school districts. Shall the proposed amendments be improved?

• Proposal Number 2, an Amendment: Extending Sewage Project Debt Exclusion From Debt Limit

The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 5 of the Constitution extends for ten years the authority of counties, cities, towns, and villages to remove from their constitutional debt limits debt for the construction of sewage facilities. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?

While it is too late to receive an absentee ballot application by letter, telefax, or through the absentee request portal, it is not too late to apply in-person for an absentee ballot. You have until Nov. 6 to request one.

Want to register to vote? Go to e-register.vote.nyc

Not sure where your poll site is or want to look at a sample ballot? Go to findmypollsite.vote.nyc

Dinowitz: Fix rape intoxication defense loophole

It is a fact that someone cannot consent to sex while intoxicated. However under current New York law, a loophole lets perpetrators use intoxication as a defense when victims voluntarily become intoxicated. It is because of this that earlier this year Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez introduced legislation that would eliminate this loophole and make the rape statute apply.

The two sponsors of the legislation met at Foley Square last Thursday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the bill into law, alongside assembly members, advocacy groups like Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and survivors like Miss New York USA Rachelle Di Stasio.

“It’s been a horrible experience to view countless times how victims, victims of rape, are not getting justice, are being blamed for none of their actions,” Fernandez said Oct. 26. “It’s atrocious that New York state is still allowing this to happen. And it’s sending a dark message that women and men, you have one drink, you can get raped and justifiably so.”

Dinowitz spoke about how in recent years they’ve passed important legislation to protect victims, such as Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal’s Adult Survivors Act and the Child Victims Act. The Assemblyman also passed an-anti human trafficking bill back in 2007.

“We have so much more to do,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said Oct. 26. “We have to protect survivors and we have to make sure that people’s rights are recognized.”

Ironically, it was Dinowitz who, as chair of the Codes Committee, held up the legislation in committee by the end of the 2022 session.

States such as Minnesota and North Carolina have already passed laws to close intoxication loopholes. Now it is New York state’s turn to see if they will follow suit.