New York City Board of Elections (BOE) certified the results of the Republican primary for the 47th district of the City Council this Tuesday. George Sarantopoulos emerged victorious over Brooklyn Republican Chairman Richie Barsamian by a slim margin of only 16 votes, securing the Republican nomination for the district. Sarantopoulos will now compete against the Democratic candidate Kelda Sanzo Sosa in November for the seat being vacated by outgoing Councilman Greg Sutton.
Before the election results were certified, election officials discovered 22 suspicious ballots during routine ballot reviews in the primary, along with two ballots cast in the name of deceased voters. The BOE announced last Friday that they had referred the matter to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for further investigation.
According to reports from the Brooklyn Bureau of the BOE, Secretary Sal Berrera stated on Tuesday that the potentially fraudulent ballots all originated from the same district, including the Amalgamated Warbasse Houses, a large residential building with thousands of households on Coney Island. Due to timely discovery, these fraudulent ballots were not included in the vote count on primary night.
Despite being deemed invalid, due to the separation of ballots from envelopes during the counting process – where absentee ballots are separated from envelopes with voter names – investigators were unable to identify which specific voters had cast these ballots. Additionally, the BOE found that some absentee ballots were cast in the names of deceased individuals, with one ballot belonging to a resident who is alive but did not vote.
The fraudulent absentee ballots have raised concerns of election interference. Sarantopoulos’ lawyer, Aaron Foldenauer, suggested that there may have been interference within the BOE. He stated that these ballots were “never accounted for” in any round of vote counting, raising suspicions that they may have been slipped into the ballot box after election day, hinting at possible involvement of BOE personnel.
Law enforcement has seized computers and phones of several BOE staff members to assist in the investigation, as reported by THE CITY.
During the committee meeting on Tuesday, Sarantopoulos publicly thanked voters and praised the committee members who “bravely exposed issues and protected voter rights.” He also called for strict punishment of the involved staff members. Sarantopoulos emphasized the importance of holding accountable those being investigated and urged the prosecutor’s office to conduct a comprehensive investigation for justice to prevail.
Barsamian has not responded to media inquiries, but in a statement on July 23rd, he reiterated that his campaign team has always been committed to ensuring “legitimate votes are counted, and illegal votes are not.” He condemned the misuse of deceased voters’ names as a “serious affront to democracy” and has requested lawyers to continue investigating and urging law enforcement.
As the Brooklyn Republican Chairman, Barsamian theoretically holds the power to appoint certain BOE staff members.
His legal representative, John Ciampoli, criticized the lack of transparency within the BOE. He mentioned that while 22 suspicious ballots were found in the BOE warehouse, the committee was reluctant to disclose how these ballots were marked or the investigation process, only stating that these ballots were “invalid.” Ciampoli suggested that these ballots may be valid, deserving a chance for appeal or objection.
Both lawyers (Ciampoli and Foldenauer) pointed out that, based on their knowledge, the majority of invalidated ballots were actually cast for Barsamian. If these ballots were to be accepted, Barsamian could potentially turn the tables.
“I have complete faith in Barsamian; he would never engage in any form of fraud,” Ciampoli emphasized, urging the public to refrain from making baseless accusations against their client.
Earlier this month, Sarantopoulos filed a lawsuit against Barsamian and the BOE. However, with the certification of the election results, the case may be withdrawn.
“Our lawsuit was never just about winning the election; it was more about holding wrongdoers accountable,” Foldenauer stated. “Now that prosecutors are involved, we hope to uncover whether anyone tried to manipulate the outcome through internal loopholes.”
On the day of his certification, Sarantopoulos issued a statement, saying, “This victory is not just mine; it is a victory for every voter who defends justice, opposes corruption, and fights against machine manipulation.” He added, “Now, we must shift our focus to the election in November. I am ready to fight for South Brooklyn and reclaim our city.”