Having qualified to be on the ballot in the upcoming June 22 primary election, Latchmi Gopal, a community organizer, former staffer for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and candidate in the District 15 City Council race, suspended her campaign, announcing her decision via an Instagram live post, last month.

 

Gopal thanked her supporters and said running for City Council in the recent March 23 special election in District 15, in the heart of the Bronx, her home, had been one of the greatest honors of her life. “I couldn’t have done it without you all, everything from door knocking, food distributions, campaign donations, writing postcards, registering people to vote, or providing insight on how we craft policies together that provide the political power to the people of the Bronx,” she said.

 

She said so many people had stepped up out of their comfort zones to support her campaign’s efforts and she said her campaign was a true reflection of community, collective decision making, and learning how to hold government and elected officials accountable to the needs of the community.

 

“When we started this journey campaigning for the 15th District City Council seat, my main priority was access and decision-making power over a city council budget so that it can finally reflect the needs and wants of our relentless and beautiful neighborhoods here in the Bronx,” she said. The core driving force of our campaign was that we deserve more. We deserve a better Bronx, and not only do we deserve it, it’s absolutely possible.”

 

She continued, “This sentiment brought us transformative conversations with our neighbors in every bodega and corner of our district. We were able to highlight the visions and hopes of our neighborhoods in different debates and forums, but most importantly, empowered our community with the language and listening ear so that we could fight for what we deserve, together. A majority of our team members grew up and live in District 15 so the campaign has always been personal.”

 

Referring to the win by now Councilman Oswald Feliz in the March special election in District 15, Gopal congratulated him and said she and her team looked forward to working with him in the future, and holding him accountable to building a better Bronx. “After much thought, my team and I have decided not to run in the June 2020 Democratic primary for City Council,” she said.

 

“This will be an entirely separate race that requires a new batch of fundraising and resources. I want to be clear that this isn’t due to a lack of commitment in our communities or vision for a City Council budget that we deserve, but rather the stark truth that it’s difficult to navigate the political process as a young woman of color, running a grassroots campaign that puts people first, always.”

 

Gopal said she had learned a lot from the experience of running in the special election and will work with her team to bring those learned lessons back to local neighborhoods, as community organizers. We hope to have your continued support as we all find new and alternative ways to show up for our communities and build political power in the Bronx and beyond,” she said.

 

As reported by Norwood News, Kenny Agosto, with whom Gopal had previously joined forces during the latter stages of the District 15 special election, and who is district director to New York State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, also recently suspended his campaign in the District 15 race.

 

The remaining candidates include incumbent Councilman Oswald Feliz, Bronx Community Board 7 District Manager, Ischia Bravo, Bernadette Ferrara, president of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance, Republican, Arial Rivera-Diaz, a former finance clerk with the City’s Board of Elections and former official at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, John Sanchez, Bronx Community Board 6 District Manager, Republican, Aramis Ocasio, a former licensed construction worker, former NYCHA community organizer, Lilithe Lozano, and Troy Blackwell, a former White House and Obama administration aide.

 

May 28 was the last day to register to vote in the June 22 Primary Election. Early voting for the election begins on June 12, less than a month away. There are 22 early voting sites throughout the Bronx and finding out which one is yours is simple. Visit find my poll site to find your early voting and election day poll site, and view a sample ballot. Check the hours and location of your poll site before you participate in early voting.

 

All registered voters can request an absentee ballot be mailed to them if they wish to vote by mail. The deadline to request a mailed ballot online, by email, fax, or by mail is Tuesday, June 15, 2021. You can submit your ballot request online or mail a paper request form to the New York City Board of Elections. Note the application request must be postmarked by June 15.

 

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference, including a write-in, instead of choosing just one candidate. Voters may still vote for just one candidate, if that is their wish, in which case they should rank their preferred candidate first (as opposed to second, third, fourth or fifth).

 

Those who wish to rank other candidates in addition to their first choice may do so. Learn more about ranked choice voting by clicking on this link.

 

To learn more about which candidates are competing in the citywide and Bronx races, please refer to our earlier story published last month which contains the list of candidates who made it on to the ballot in each applicable race.