When Richie Barsamian lost his City Council race on election night, he refused to concede. We may now know why. This afternoon, the Board of Elections recommended that at least two-dozen fraudulent ballots cast in the 47th City Council District be thoroughly investigated by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. The June 24 primary race pitted George Sarantopoulos, an underdog MAGA fighter, against Richie Barsamian, the Chair of the Kings County Republican Party. As County Chair, Barsamian’s job was to recruit effective candidates like George to run – not to leverage his own seat as a springboard into higher office. Now, instead of sitting on the City Council, Barsamian may end up sitting in a cell on Rikers Island.
When June 24 came around, the People of Brooklyn sensed Barsamian’s lust for power and rejected him at the ballot box. Although he was County Chair, Republicans obviously lacked confidence in his leadership. He failed to connect with voters on the campaign trail, was devoid of charisma or charm, and made Jeb Bush look inspiring by contrast. We recommended that evening that he “do the right thing and resign, tonight.” But Richie was not going to let a small thing like the results of an honest election impede his quest for power. If these allegations are true, he had an ace up his sleeve and he was prepared to use it.
In a race that was ultimately decided by just 16 ballots, two-dozen fake ones almost swung the whole contest. A routine election integrity check by the Board of Elections revealed that 22 ballots were “potentially fraudulent.” In one case reported by the New York Post, 87-year-old William Allen received a cure notice – the Board’s way of alerting a voter when something, like a missing signature, was wrong with their ballot. There was more than a simple error with Allen’s ballot – he had never voted. On top of the 22 fake votes, at least two more came from Juliet Windvan and Antoinette Garzaniti. Both have been dead for more than a decade.
The New York Young Republican Club calls for an immediate investigation into the voter fraud allegations in the 47th Council District. It is incumbent upon the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to thoroughly investigate these fraudulent votes and bring the full weight of the law to bear on any criminal activity. As County Chair, Barsamian was the only candidate in this race to appoint workers to the Board of Elections, where direct access to the ballots was possible. The workers in question have been identified; now they must be subpoenaed, interrogated, and – if necessary – jailed. If it becomes clear that Barsamian himself was criminally involved, he should face the appropriate criminal charges. Instead of going to the City Council, Richie Barsamian may be going to Rikers Island.
Richie, the eyes of Kings County are upon you. We warned you, repeatedly, to concede this race before it was too late. A month ago, you could have done this with grace. Now, you can explain it to the judge.